Look How the Hourglass Turns
by Beware the Noble Heart
Summary: Hermione felt weak, weak and utterly alone, and she hated it. Thinking back, she thought maybe she shouldn’t have kissed the young Snape. She had probably just complicated things for this time and for her own. Snape was going to be furious
1. Breaking the Glass of Time

Summary: Hermione is spun into a world not her own. If she survives the House of Black, she still has to get home and what will she think of Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter now, in this time?

Disclaimer: nothing's mind, bliddy bladdy blu.

Enjoy please or don't but review anyways.

Hermione looked around, surprised at the difference between this room and all the others. She saw in the corner something that surprised her, thoroughly. It was an hourglass the size of a small child. She walked forward examined it and tried to lift it, but it was much too heavy, so she moved it with her wand to hover in front of her. The sands were running very low.

"Hermione no!" she heard a familiar voice shouting. She looked over to meet the beautiful eyes of Harry's godfather, Sirius, but as she did so, her power over the hourglass was broken and it fell. It broke at her feet, the sand covering her now deeply cut up feet. The pain was instant and did not go away.

A brilliant blue light blinded Hermione before everything faded to dark again.

She looked around at her new surroundings and decided that she was no longer in the Black Mansion, or was she? Everything about it seemed similar except the stubborn layer of dust was gone, and everything was different than it had been.

"Oh my gosh. A time-turner. How could I have been so bloody stupid?" she exclaimed, angry with herself for acting as such with something in the Black house, also surprised by her words. She should have known better. She reached into her pocket and found her wand. She couldn't stand, but knew that if she was back when she thought she was, being in muggle clothes would not be very brilliant. She concentrated hard and robes appeared on her, as she gripped her wand. Her knuckles were white. She heard footsteps and suddenly remembered her hair, with a quick charm, she turned it from blonde to raven-black. She knew that being out of the sun the whole summer had made her pale enough to fit in, so she waited, trying to ignore the pain in her legs.

She tried to apperate, once her mind cleared enough to think of it, but obviously the charms prevented it in this room. For once, she hated the accursed protections of the house of Black.

"What do we have here?" a cold voice hissed. She did not recognize that voice. She looked up, into the cold beady eyes of a young woman.

Hermione's heart almost stopped completely. It was Belletrix Lestrange; she knew that face by heart and that was indeed she. She thought quickly and knew she had to make them believe she was one of them.

"Is there something you find so interesting, because staring at me is not helping me get to my feet," Hermione would have congratulated herself at the coldness in her voice had she not had to make up something else to say. "Bloody bastard Sirius Black, didn't have his wand when I attacked him, so he resorted to throwing a damned water-glass at me."

"Ah, and how did you know to come here?" Belletrix said, suspiciously.

"I believe that's none of your business, but I shall tell you. I came here, because I heard that the Blacks have good connections with the dark lord. I need revenge... revenge on Albus Dumbledore and I can't do it alone," the laced words spilled from her tongue creating and intricate design that she hoped she would remember.

"What business do you have with Albus Dumbledore?" Belletrix asked, the suspicion in her eyes fading, slowly.

"My business is my own, and you'll do well to remember that and take me to the master of this house," Hermione growled.

"What's your name, little witch?" Belletrix asked.

"I'd watch your names, because my power is many times my size," Hermione snapped, holding up her wand, dangerously. For the first time, she was actually glad her wand was black. It just tipped off the look she was giving off.

Belletrix glared into her green eyes for a moment, before walking to her and kneeling next to her. She pulled out her wand and healed the cuts with one spell. The pain ended instantly and Hermione attempted to rise gracefully, and almost fell over if she had not made a sudden shift of movement.

Belletrix raised an eyebrow at her, but she just gave her a cold look. 'Shit, I'm about to willingly go up in front of Mr. Scott Black.' She shivered, which thankfully went unnoticed by Belletrix.

As they walked through the halls, Hermione noticed the beauty that indeed did lie underneath the dust. It was a dark beauty but it was very elegant, to say the least.

"My uncle will be very pleased to accept your arrival..." she trailed off waiting for a name. I refrained from saying my own name. Somehow I felt as if I had to give another name for the new person I was creating.

"Alaira Howard, Al," Hermione stated.

"I have never heard of Howard's in the pureblood community," Belletrix said.

"I am not from a community. My family lives in solitude, a lazy bunch, mudblood lovers," Hermione hissed, wanting to hurl for saying it.

"I see, and you have been offended by Dumbledore?" Belletrix inquired.

"In more ways than one," Hermione nodded. For the quiet and evil person she was, Belletrix sure was inquisitive.

Hermione was so angry with herself for touching the time-turner. She saw Sirius' desperation in his eyes when she turned to him. He was trying to protect her from it. She was sure that he knew where it would take her, or rather... when it would take her.

Hermione glanced at Belletrix for a moment, then looked ahead. She had taken a mental picture of that gaunt face.

"What time of year is it, if you please. I think that bastard hit me in the head with a glass," Hermione said, staying in character.

"Winter, summer vacation for Hogwarts students. You look young enough to go there yourself. Seeing as you're not known by me, you may be a valuable spy at Hogwarts without any of that bloody order who call themselves, order of the parakeet or something like that. Hermione bit her tongue. Shouting out, "Order of the Phoenix, you bloody idiot," would not be good in this situation.

"Where are we going, not that I'd like to tell you I do not trust you," Hermione said, with sarcasm.

"We are going to see the master of the house. You are quite fortunate; the dark lord is here at this very moment and shall be much obliged to greet you I am sure," Belletrix said, dryly.

Hermione's heart stopped completely in her chest, and her mind was painful with terror. She thought he would see through her charade if she were not careful. She fought the terrified emotions down deep in her and forced herself to stare ahead blankly. She would survive this house. No matter what, she had to get to Sirius, or... "James Potter is alive," she thought in realization. "I have to survive to save them!" was her last thought before she stepped into the dark room lit only by a fireplace, the room that would decide her survival in this past time...

DUN DUN DUN! I hope you like it. I took someone's advice and wrote a story without origional characters so I couldn't make them Mary Sues. I guess this'll work, though I am crossing the times. Oh well, thanks for reading. I beg of you to review. PLEASE; PLEASE; PLEASE! It's easy hit the little bitty button. Click and type something in, anything I don't care. Tell me not to be an idiot and write such long instructions on how to leave a review. That's something.


	2. Finally Snapped

_**Sorry it took forever to update, but here you go to my two reviewers. It was two right? I LOVE YOU GUYS!**_

_**So all, we remember where our buddy Hermione was last time, right? I'm so nice for stopping it there, aren't I? Aren't you so glad I'm all cool like that.**_

_**Anyways, chapter two, here ya are. BTW check out my other story too. It's all spiffy and stuff.**_

Hermione stepped into the room, trying to calm her pounding heart. She had almost succeeded, but it picked up again when she saw a face that looked like the Sirius she knew, but it was older, more gaunt and sallow. It made her shiver to see his cold brown eyes, exactly the opposite of Sirius' warm, remorseful, and gentle ones that seemed to hold all the feeling that would fit in his heart, but this man's held no feeling at all.

"Who is this Belletrix?" the man asked, in a cool voice.

"She calls herself Alaira Howard, Ali, she says," Belletrix said in a voice that did not sound very sure. "She seems to know much about us."

"I know very little of you. All that I know is that I am enemy to Albus Dumbledore and I want my revenge. You can put me within reach of him," Hermione hissed. It was directed at the man she knew had to be Scott Black, but she was glaring at Belletrix very intently.

Hermione moved her eyes to Scott Black and stared directly into his eyes though it almost made her shiver to think of those eyes and the cold heart behind them.

"What has he done to you to invoke your anger so, child?" a cold voice said, from a chair facing the fire. A shiver ran up Hermione's spine at the voice she knew must be the dark lord's, but she covered it up expertly.

"I have my reasons, just as you have yours _Tom_," Hermione said darkly. Scott lunged at me for calling Voldemort Tom.

"Who do you work for?" he shouted at her.

"It's whom do you work for and I work none other than Albus Dumbledore, no one else, you nosey prat. Release me, before I make you release me," Hermione ordered. Scott leapt back, feeling her wand against his stomach. Her fear was now thinly masked, as she backed out of the room, putting up a blue barrier around herself as she went.

"She radiates with power, the same kind of power that flows in my veins. Come dear, you know it's a power that Albus Dumbledore is not great enough to understand," Hermione heard the voice of Voldemort. She began to tremble as she saw him stand. When he turned she let out a quiet gasp.

"NO!" she screamed, the barrier blinking a vibrant red. "I WORK FOR NO ONE BUT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE! HE IS AND ALWAYS WILL REMAIN THE GREATEST WIZARD EVER TO BE BORN!"

"No other way would she get through the barriers of the House of Black, while she is no ally!" Belletrix exclaimed.

Reinforcing the barrier, Hermione turned and bolted as fast as she could towards the door. She practically flew out of it.

"I'll get to you professor!" she exclaimed to herself.

She held out her wand, and in seconds the Night Bus appeared. She backed away from the building, staring at Scott Black as she practically fell into the arms of a young man who was surprised, but steadied her and led her onto the bus.

"Girl... what was you staring at?" the man asked.

Hermione looked at him and muttered, "You'd rather not know, sir."

"All right," he nodded, accepting the answer. He sat her on the nearest bed to the front on the bus, and kept a hand on her shoulder, hoping it would calm her.

"Where are you headed darlin'?" the driver asked, gruffly.

"Uh, Hogwarts, sir," Hermione replied softly.

"Closest we can get you is Hogsmeade, my dear," the driver replied. "Will that be alright?" he asked.

"That's fine. I owe you much more already than you know," Hermione told him.

In fifteen seconds flat they were in Hogsmeade. "The three broomsticks," the driver announced.

"Thank you so much, how much do I owe?" she asked.

"Nothing. We do not consent to let a damsel in distress pay us for our services. It was no trouble at all," the young man told her quickly, gaining a nod from the driver. He led her off the bus and they were both surprised to see the mask of a Death Eater staring back at them when the doors were opened.

"Screw policy Ernie! Get us to Hogwarts!" the young man said, pulling Hermione back inside and just getting her out of the way of a spell.

"OKAY MATT!" Ernie, the driver shouted back, starting the bus quickly

"Why are death eaters after you?" Ernie called as Hermione shrunk back into the corner of the bus, behind his seat.

She didn't know until the instant the death-eater through a curse at her how much this ordeal was tearing her apart with fear. She couldn't help herself from bursting into tears the second her back hit the wall of the bus. She slid down, tears streaming down her face, sobs racking through her chest.

"Oh dear, oh dear," Matt, the young man muttered, staring out the window as they passed trees quickly.

Albus Dumbledore sat in his study when he glanced out the window and saw the dark mark hovering over Hogsmeade. He leapt to his feet and ran out the door, down the stairs that moved with him and out into the hall. "SIRIUS!" he shouted.

"I know! I see it!" a voice called from the floor below.

"Albus!" two more voices shouted.

"It's the night bus!" Sirius called from the bottom of the stairs as the headmaster came with two professors running close behind him.

They ran out the door faster than anyone would have thought the professors capable of, but with Sirius in front. Sure enough as they got out, they saw the night bus waiting at the front doors.

"Professor Dumbledore, I need some help!" a muffled voice called, a male's.

"Who's that?" Minerva McGonagal asked, as they hurried after Sirius, who was the first on the bus.

"Mathew Johnson, graduated two years ago," Albus said, upon seeing him.

When his eyes fell upon the girl shrunk in the shadows, cowering in the corner, and pushing Matt away from him, he did not know what to call her, for he had no idea who she was.

"The Death Eaters are after her. One attacked by the three broomsticks, and when I got her back in safely she went to the corner and refused to move," Matt said, glancing back at the town they had moments-ago left.

Minerva tried to go to her, but she let out a squeaking noise and shuffled away, and did the same with Alberto Spring and Albus.

"Sirius?" Albus glanced at him, hoping he could do something. Sirius was staring at her oddly. He glanced at the forest and people with masks stood there, walking slowly towards them. They were running out of time and had to get her inside the safety of Hogwarts.

Sirius did not rush to her as the others had done. He got on his knees next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently. He slowly placed a hand on her chin and turned her to look at him. Her brown eyes met his and she lunged herself into his arms. He was completely taken by surprise, but wrapped his arm around her nonetheless. He put is other arm beneath her knees and lifted her effortlessly.

He turned back to Albus and nodded to he and the other professors, who hastened off the bus ahead of him, and all three at the same time put up a barrier that stopped the spells that were sent forward when she came into view. Sirius ran her into the castle, Matt right behind him, while Ernie drove away, to get the bus out of the way.

"What's her name?" Sirius asked.

"She didn't tell us," Matt said, shakily, glancing back at the professors, standing at equal intervals they hands up creating a barrier.

"Where'd you pick her up?" Sirius demanded.

"On the streets in London a bad part of London; it was very shabby she was staring back and holding her wand facing the gap between two buildings as if something were there!" Matt snapped back.

"What was the street name?" Sirius shouted.

"Grim something," Matt said, unsure.

"Black Manor," Sirius hissed, cursing under his breath.

"Watch her," Sirius ordered, setting her gently on the ground just inside the door.

He ran out to Albus. "She was at Black Manor Albus. She must have escaped or something, with what that guy says," Sirius shouted, over the shouts of spells and their colliding with the barrier.

"Does she have a name?" Albus asked.

"No, he doesn't know her name," Sirius replied.

"Alright, truce!" he called to the death eaters. "We know you want the girl and you know you're not going to get through our barrier, so just leave!" Albus called to them.

"The girl, so you do not know her?" hissed the unmistakable voice of Voldemort. He walked into view from among his death eaters.

"Why would we?" Sirius demanded.

"When she was trying to get away, all she kept babbling about having to get to you, singing praises to a despicable muggle-loving wizard, implying that your power was more than mine. She actually believes she will be able to defy me, when we all know she will be my servant soon as her ambition for power is so undeniable," Voldemort smirked with his thin white lips.

Matt shouted something, causing Sirius to turn quickly. The girl was walking out of the castle, firmly, biting her lip as tears still tracked down her face.

"I will forever be on Albus Dumbledore's side. I would die before joining you!" the girl shouted. "LUMIONUS TONAMIS!" she screamed, holding her wand, pointed at Voldemort. It hit him and actually threw him back and to the ground. He did not move. The death eaters scurried in fright, grabbing him and running.

The spell took so much out of the girl that she fell to her knees, dropping her wand and seconds later, dropped completely unconscious. It was Alberto, Professor Spring, who caught her in time before she hit the ground.

"Professor, what just happened?" Sirius just asked, thoroughly shaken, his eyes lifting to Albus, who was staring at the girl in shock.

"I do not know," Albus said, incredulously.

"But..." Minerva trailed off. In all her life she had never thought to hear those words from the lips of Albus Dumbledore.

"This is astonishing," Alberto mumbled, his voice raspy. "Sirius lad, I'm not as strong in my old age; lift her up, will you, eh?" Alberto asked. Sirius did as he was told and turned to the castle.

"Get her to the hospital room. I'll examine her myself," Albus stated.

"Matthew, you should really get back to the Night Bus. I'm sorry to say that I will have no information on what just occurred until she awakens, upon which time I will contact Ernie and yourself.

"She's so small and pale, Albus. How can such a frail girl produce a spell that powerful, more powerful than anything you have yet to throw at Voldemort?" the young Professor Minerva McGonagal asked, incredulously.

"I do not know, Minerva; I myself don't understand this," Albus stated, following Sirius glumly into the school, the two other professor directly behind them.

_**Read and review before I start doin' the snoopy dance and makin' ya'll read and review! Ya, I'm an Idahoan I'll do it you know, shakes fist threateningly, an starts shaking ass. You know you like it. I'M KIDDING!!!**_


	3. Hermione?… Speachless?…

Disclaimer: For god sakes, you should know by now that it's JK Rowling's all right, I'm done writing disclaimers on this story.

Hey all, thanx for everyone who reviewed, you all kick ass!!!

If you are just catching up or something, review anyways, because I always like your opinions, k?

"So, are you done hiding in corners?" a soft voice asked. Hermione looked quickly to the door. It was Albus Dumbledore and to her eyes there wasn't the least bit of difference in his face, but there was in his blue eyes. The normally crystal-clear color seemed even clearer now.

"I cannot explain my actions, only that they are not like me," Hermione mumbled.

"Indeed and what are you like? Obviously you are like the many girls who like Sirius Black, but..." Albus was cut off by Hermione's short chuckle.

"Please, tell me what humors you so I may join you in your laughter," Albus said, curiously.

"Indeed, you have confirmed what Harry and Ron have insisted for quite a long time," Hermione said, softly.

"Who are Harry and Ron and what have they so insisted.

"They are my very best friends and have insisted that Sirius Black was a lady's man back in his day, but he does not seem like that now, or then or when I am from," Hermione tried to explain.

"When? You are not from our time, then?" Albus questioned.

"Yes, I am from your time, Professor, but not this time. Could you tell me the year?" Hermione asked, pushing the blankets off of her. She hated the hospital wing and would happily be out as quickly as possible.

"It is 1986," Albus stated, still confused.

"I am from eighteen years in the future, professor, a very dark future," Hermione said. "Or a future that is becoming dark."

"You have been sent here to help us?" Albus asked.

"If you believe in fate, then yes, but in my opinion I was never meant to be here and I'm supposed to get back to my time," Hermione sighed.

"So, you have come here by accident?" Albus questioned.

"More out of stupidity. I meddled with something in the Black House that I should never have touched. Sirius, of my time, attempted to save, well more stop me, but it had already been done," Hermione mumbled, resting her head in her hands and rubbing her eyes, lightly.

"That is why you latched on to him when you saw him. He was the only friendly face you saw," Albus said.

"I beg of you not to bring that up again. I do not know why I did that, but I assure you that can't be the reason. I know you and Professor McGonagall as well," Hermione sighed.

"What happened before I fainted anyways? It feels like a truck has rammed into me," Hermione mumbled.

"Ah, that is something that only you can tell me," Albus said. "You are tired and should get your rest."

"No, I have too much to do. Until I know a way to get back I have to prepare you to change what happens to... the Potters in the future. If I am to be here, I might try to change what should not have happened, and hope that it does not affect the future, terribly," Hermione stood.

"James Potter?" Sirius' voice reached Hermione's ears, coming from the doorframe.

"Yes, James Potter is a main person to suffer if I do not do something. You suffer more, though, in your own right," Hermione said.

"Did they tell you of a plan when you were in the Black House?" Sirius asked. He obviously hadn't heard the part of her being from the future.

"That could be said. It was in the Black House that I come to know completely of your friend's fate," Hermione said. "It is no matter to you, Sirius Black, for you can do nothing but know that you are James' truest friend and no one else can take your place."

Sirius stared at her for a moment, calculatingly. He thought he heard hinting in her voice, but it was gone as quickly as it had come and she was brushing past him.

"Oh and _Hermione_, you must be sorted, for you will be attending Hogwarts this year, in seventh year correct, as Head Girl?"

"How did you know that? How do you know my name, anyways?" Hermione turned quickly to stare at him, open-mouthed from the corridor.

"Ah, your mind is very open, my dear. You should take Occlumency this year as one of your electives," Albus smiled, mischievously. "Also, you were holding something in your pocket a moment ago. I assumed it was a pin of some sort... a Head Girl pin, correct?"

"I was going to give the position to a young Ravenclaw Girl, but you seem to hold boundless courage to deal with what you have in these past days and you make me confident that you shall be a good Head Girl," Albus said, walking past Sirius then she, whistling a chirpy tune.

"Does that man ever lose good spirits?" Hermione said, sounding miffed, as she stared after the headmaster.

"It doesn't seem like he does. How do you have a Head Girl pin if he hadn't yet chosen the Head Girl?" Sirius asked. "And how do I not know you?" he questioned.

Hermione shrugged, turning and walking straight towards where she hoped Minerva's office was still located. She made it there incredibly quickly, hoping Sirius would not be suspicious at her fast speeds. She knocked on the door, quickly

"Ah, young mystery girl," Minerva smiled at her, as she opened the door.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, holding out her hand.

"Minerva McGonagall, Minerva, if you please," Minerva said, calmly.

"It will be Professor McGonagall, for the headmaster has decided that I will be attending. I needed to ask you a favor," Hermione said.

"Yes?" Minerva frowned.

"Professor Dumbledore would not tell me what happened before I fainted. All I remember was being behind the wall where Sirius had left me and that there was a lot of shouting," Hermione stated.

"Oh, goodness. I could not tell you how you did what you did dear, but in you... You did not seem to be out of your unstable state, but you were stumbling towards us and we all turned to look at you. You-know-who said that you wouldn't be able to defy him and you replied declaring your everlasting loyalty to Albus, before shouting a spell with more power than I have ever seen," Minerva still seemed stunned thinking about it. "It knocked Voldemort out, Hermione," she whispered.

"What?" Hermione's eyes widened like saucers and she felt lightheaded. "How did I...?" she trailed off. "There must be some mistake. I... I couldn't have done that. It must have just been something that..." Hermione couldn't find an explanation. For the first time in her life, Hermione was completely lost for even a small theory. Hermione was completely and utterly speechless.

You read it, so review it! 


	4. Family Connections

Hey all, greeky's back.

OMG I love all my reviewers, you guys are so beyond cool. I haven't gotten one bad review. I have been really down bc my LotR story is getting criticized and now I find that people actually like all this. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! COOKIES AND FUDGE BARS TO EVERYONE!

greeky

"Where is that girl?" Sirius asked, grabbing a sandwich as he sat at the only table in the great hall, which was laid out for five people: Alberto, Minerva, Albus, Sirius and Hermione if she ever decided to show up.

"Miss Alaira Hermione Howard has yet to grace us with her presence all day. She is in the library and hasn't left since ten o'clock last night," Albus replied. "She likes to use her middle name."

"Hermione? That's an odd name," Sirius said, taking a large bite of a sandwich. It seemed like he was saying he didn't care very much, as he said no more.

"Indeed, and to fit a very odd girl. She has the ambition of a Slytherin and knowledge a Ravenclaw would dream of, yet she tells us she's a Gryffendor," Minerva said.

"Really?" Sirius became suddenly interested.

"It is quite odd, but maybe she has changed since she was last sorted," Albus shrugged.

"But I don't know her. She couldn't have been sorted before," Sirius said.

"There are many times that a had can be placed upon a head, Mr. Black. It only takes a few moments," Albus replied, evenly.

"I think that she'll become a Ravenclaw, personally. It is not only my opinion, but also my hope for her. If she ends up in Slytherin, we can't protect her from her housemates," Alberto stated.

"Did you ever figure out why she was in my family's house?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius, there are many things about young Hermione that only she herself can explain," Albus said, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder. He was about to say something else, when he heard his name shouted.

He looked up to the doors and they were thrown open. "It was here, a prophecy," Hermione said, out of breath, running up to the table. She slammed a book down on the table in front of him.

"In Latin and it explained everything," Hermione exclaimed.

"You speak Latin?" Sirius frowned at her.

"A little; after all our language is based off of it, it's only right I should know some of it," Hermione shrugged.

"This is amazing," Albus said, staring at the page.

"What does it say?" Sirius demanded.

"Later, Sirius. Right now we have to go speak in private. Miss Granger, come along," Albus said, nodding to the door in the back of the room. They went to it. A table sat in the middle of it. He dropped the book upon the table and looked to Hermione, who closed the door behind her.

"Went into the restricted section, did you?" Albus smiled, his eyes glittering over his half-moon spectacles as he looked at her.

"It was for the best cause and look at that. You see it plain as day. I'm not supposed to go back to my time. I'm supposed to be here, but I am meant to go back upon the twenty-fourth fortnight from now. It was a large hourglass that brought me here. Instead of twelve hours, it has the power to change twelve fortnights," Hermione said.

"You're supposed to help us, our order," Albus looked down at the page.

"The Order of the Phoenix," Hermione confirmed.

"Of the Phoenix... I wouldn't have thought of that or would I?" Albus asked.

"Oh, you hadn't named it yet... sorry," Hermione said.

"If I was going to name it that in the future, there's no use wasting my time," Albus chuckled.

"As you see, dear, even the little things can change the future. That may have well given us a step ahead," Albus said. "You must be careful of what you do and say. You are Alaira Hermione Howard. You must train yourself to answer to you first name even though you shall go by Hermione. You are only seventeen so you will need a guardian..." Albus trailed off. "I shall take you under my guardianship in exchange for your assistance. Does that seem fair?" Albus asked.

"Very much so, sir," Hermione nodded, after thinking about if for a moment.

"Now, back to the position you are in at this school. You are the new head girl and..."

"Actually sir, wouldn't it be best for me to keep a low profile at this school as it isn't my time... and I've angered Voldemort enough, in my opinion. Becoming Gryffendor Head Girl would most likely only further incur his wrath," Hermione cut him off.

"You seem to have so much power in you, child, and your wit is sharp. You, of course would have thought of this. Your first good thing to do was change your name, but I believe that if you are to be here for a full year, it is only fair that you should be able to live it as if you would in your own time. Your coming was prophesized. It should be known who you are. If I thought you were a good choice for head girl in the future I will stand by that decision," Albus stated, firmly.

"Yes sir," Hermione nodded.

"Good, now..." Albus was once again cut off.

"What year is Sirius Black in?" she asked.

"Seventh," Albus stated.

"Then why isn't Lily Pot-Evans head girl? Wouldn't she be...?" It was Hermione's turn to be cut off.

"She was going to be my first choice, but she said she would rather like to concentrate on her studies. She is retaining her prefect title, but Head Girl would have overwhelmed her, as she said," Albus explained.

"I see," Hermione nodded.

"Now, do you play quiditch, dear?" Albus asked.

"Huh, me on a broom. Gods, I'm terrified of flying," Hermione winced.

"All right, well, we should have you sorted then, shan't we?" Albus said. He snapped his fingers, and the sorting hat appeared on the table, over the book that had since been forgotten.

Albus lifted it up and placed it on her head, ignoring her protest of, "I've been sorted before. I'm a Gryffendor." The hat, however, did not yell out Gryffendor as it touched her head.

"Ah, the future I see. What a mind," the hat murmured. "Ravenclaw would be proud of you," the hat said. "Ah and courage to suggest Gryffendor. You think so, do you?" he spoke to her, aloud. "Times change, though. Let me have a good scan dear... for good measure, then. Fierce loyalty, very prized to Gryffendor, but my, my you do have ambition. It is a blinding flash of goals and dreams, your head. Incredible," the hat pondered. "This is indeed a tough decision, tough indeed. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw I will set aside with much hesitation."

"Dear, I must say, you might have changed more than you thought over the years, for you are indeed a Slytherin," the hat said.

"But I'm a muggle-born," Hermione objected.

"Ah, but there is something you do not know about. Your blood flows with the same blood of your greatest enemy," the hat said mysteriously.

"What?" Hermione was lost at the statement. Completely and utterly lost. "My greatest..." Hermione trailed off as it slowly dawned on both she and the stunned professor beside her.

"I'm related to Voldemort?" she whispered, in a tiny voice.

CLIFFY!!! Read and Review, k, kids? You know ya'll want to. Also, I know Hermione doesn't like saying Voldemort, but she is older, maybe she's taking Voldemort's advice because you know "Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself."... Anyways. I'm outing, hope you likey

greeky


	5. Wandless

Okay, guys, cool it, I won't make her a Slytherin, but there are some things that I have thought of that make me think she can't be a Gryffendor wholly. I'll think of something. I'll explain what I mean next chapter. I swear, but I think I've just thought of a way, okay? All right, we're good.

TINA!!!- you know what, you are now my ultimate favorite reviewer. Thanks for the comment about the unnamed bitch coughmarpessacough in my other story. It was quite hilarious. I'm glad you like all of my stories. Thanks much.

Hi: glad to get an AH! hehe

SiriuslyFun: do you find my story seriously fun to read? No, I'm kidding with that corny joke, okay? Seriously, if you answer that I'll have to 'spork myself'(as a reviewer kindly said after reading that I had an Avril Lavigne song in my Lotr story. See I find if the reviewers are funny when they want to say my story's trash, it lessons the blow.) Damn people and their not liking of Avril Lavigne.

Yah, sorry to those who had to suffer through my extremely lame jokes (Siriuslyfun), but I sometimes cannot contain myself, so...

ON WITH THE STORY!

"What do you mean by that?" Hermione whispered.

"I mean exactly what I said. No one of the Slytherin line has ever been sorted into Gryffendor. You are of the Slytherin line and I refuse to break that..."

"You will break it in the future if not now! You know you did. You know in my head that I was a Gryffendor, you stupid hat," Hermione shouted, throwing it away from her.

"If you must be sorted into Gryffendor, you will, but you will put shame upon the great Lord Salazar Slytherin," the hat said, an odd smirk on his face.

"Salazar Slytherin indeed," Hermione snapped, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room and slamming the door behind her. She walked to the table, fists clenched and shaking she was so livid.

"What's wrong?" Alberto asked.

"You do **not** want to know, professor," Hermione muttered, picking up a piece of toast and spreading it with butter. She set it on her plate and looked around. There were no apples. She snapped her fingers and it began raining apples. Having quick reflexes, Alberto put up a magical barrier, with his wand.

"Damn it," Hermione muttered, catching one and putting it on her plate, and snapping her fingers again. The rain stopped, and apples disappeared, including the one on her plate. Sirius stopped her from trying again, by grabbing her wrists and Minerva transfigured a bowl of applesauce into an apple.

"Do not use magic when you're angry," Minerva said strictly.

"Especially rare wandless magic, which is fueled by emotions," Alberto said, sharply. "It is a gift to have, girl, not a privilege."

For the first time in her life, other than in Divination class, Hermione found herself snapping at a teacher, "What do you know?" She stood and stalked out.

"That was a Slytherin thing to do if I ever saw one," Alberto said, softly as she slammed the door to an alternate corridor coming from the great hall.

"Yes, it was," Albus said, from the doorway.

"She does not seem the type to become angry with people, does she?" Minerva asked.

"You mean with a teacher?" Sirius asked, watching Minerva closely. She nodded after a moment.

"It's because she's not the type," Albus said. "The hat said, she was as quiet as a mouse, except in class, where she would be very eager. He also said that she bottle things up and when she does lash out it's usually against our current Slytherin student's son," Albus said. "The hat said she had the demeanor of a Ravenclaw, the spirit of a Gryffendor, the loyalty of a Hufflepuff, and the cunning of a Slytherin," Albus said, softly. "It is odd for the hat to admonish a student so much."

"Is there any particular reason the hat gave for doing so?" Minerva questioned.

"No, he did not give a reason for speaking so highly of her. I think in the future she plays a great role, but she is here however. I am curious to know how I am coping with the loss of this girl," Albus smiled. "I think she may prove to be an entertaining ally if nothing else."

I know this is horribly short, but I'll update tomorrow I promise, maybe even tonight if I get at least five reviews (well I'm a sucker so one sparkling one should do it). I had to break this from the next chapter, which is actually extremely long. Please review, because then you'd get like publically praised by me! Smiles wickedly and walks away calmly.


	6. James

K, I think I said something about it being Winter, summer vacation. I thought I'd clear that up. It is summer vacation okay, a few days until the school year. All right, now that that's cleared up. Here we go

Kail: Thanks for reviewing, and ya, sorry the last was so short. This one isn't though and ya, in the first chapter, Hermione was having trouble thinking... hehe.   
_IMPORTANT_

_All right, so I have a problem, or more you do. If you want to go through the recap I have in this section I'm very glad you liked the second chapter so much, but if it annoys you to have someone verbally repeat what has already happened in the story, but I felt I had to, so I could have what happens at the end. I will put everything that you don't need to read in sections of italics, all right? I hope you'll forgive me if you don't like it, but if you don't read all the not italic type, you might not understand something, k? It only makes up roughly 1/4 of the chapter (781 words of it)._

Beginning in Hermione's time:

Sirius and Albus sat across the table from each other, too astonished to speak at dinner. Everyone was present, eating, and all uptight after the news of Hermione's disappearance. "She shouldn't be there, Albus," he said suddenly.

"What, where is she?" Harry asked quickly. Everyone stopped eating.

"You said you didn't know where she went, where that thing would take her," Ron said, accusingly.

"I didn't and now I do," Sirius muttered, staring straight at Albus.

"Who knew that that hourglass was actually a time-turner," Albus thought, stroking his beard, thoughtfully.

"What do you mean? Where is Hermione?" Harry demanded.

"Harry, please calm yourself. Miss Granger, it seems is in the past. She seems to have acquired an enormous about of power from somewhere. Tell me, did you know of Hermione's relations to the Dark Lord?" Albus questioned.

"What, what are you talking about?" Ron snapped. "Hermione has nothing to do with him."

"Actually Ron. It seems she is the heir of Slytherin, or rather, an heir of Slytherin," Albus stated.

"What?" Sirius frowned.

"That is what the sorting hat said when he sorted her," Albus said.

"And why she was so angry that she sent a shower of apples on the professors and myself," Sirius muttered. "Where on earth did Hermione learn wandless magic?" Sirius asked Albus, who smiled, looking to Severus Snape, who seemed very preoccupied with his food.

"You bloody bastard. She could end up hurting herself. She nearly did with the stunt she pulled!" Sirius shouted, rising from his seat.

"She came to me and asked to learn Occlumency. She is a very quick learner and became quite gifted with not only Occlumency, but Ligilmency as well," Severus muttered. "Then she asked me to teach her more magic and I could not say no," Severus said.

"What do you mean you could not say no?" Sirius shouted, angrily.

"She asked me every day after school, nagging me endlessly, then she swore that if I did not teach her, she would tell everyone she knew that I..." Severus paused, not wanting to say anything.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sirius growled, around the table in seconds. He grabbed Severus' shoulders and pushed him against the wall. "If you touched her I swear..." Sirius trailed off, letting Severus imagine what he would do.

"Jealous," Severus taunted, not able to pass it up.

"I'll kill you!" Sirius yelled.

"Oh for God sakes, Black, I didn't touch the girl," Severus shoved Sirius away from him.

"Indeed," Albus laughed. "She swore she would tell the whole school how friendly he was towards her, how helpful, and that he was her favorite teacher."

"You're bloody kidding me! My Hermione hates Snape!" Ron exclaimed, indignantly.

"Well, Ron..." Harry trailed off.

"She told you?" Severus' eyes narrowed.

"I practically beat it out of her, after she did not reply snidely to you when you insulted her about the Hair Cleaning potion, when it was actually Lavender, who sat behind us, that made the comment," Harry said. "She told me she would sort it out later, and I was shocked. She had never put up with your bull shit before and then she acted like the two of you were friends," Harry muttered.

Suddenly, Albus, Sirius, and Severus grabbed their heads. Everything went quiet, and when the three relaxed, Albus smiled, at Severus' uncomfortable shifting.

"What the hell is going on?" Ron utterly confused.

"Miss Granger has just met our professor and the meeting was quite memorable," Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Why the hell would she do that?" Sirius roared, stomping out of the room.

Back in Time: 

"All right, the two of you are going with the train back to Kings Cross, because you, Hermione must be there to make sure nothing goes wrong on the platform and Sirius, I'm sure wants to ride the train anyways, correct?" Albus looked at Sirius, who nodded.

They were to set out this morning and go to the platform in London. Then they would stay in the Leaky Cauldron over night, before heading back to King's Cross, for the train's journey back with the other students. Albus warned them many times how they had to keep a low profile and make sure that there was no chance Voldemort could locate them, as Hermione was probably his main target, at the moment.

Sirius and Hermione sat across from each other in the same compartment, Hermione wishing she had Crookshanks and eager to get to Diagon Alley. She was given enough money from Albus to pay for dinner, the room, and breakfast, as well as her school robes, schoolbooks, and other school necessities, but Albus had also given her enough money to get any pet she chose.

"Hermione, what is it that interests you?" Sirius said, softly after a moment.

"What?" Hermione looked up at the rather oddly way Sirius had phrased his question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you don't like Quiditch which is astonishing, but if not that, then what is it?" Sirius asked.

"I-uh, well I like to learn," Hermione stated, blushing.

Sirius laughed. He was actually laughing at her. Hermione crossed her arms and humphed, looking out the window. "Wait, you were serious?" he asked.

"Yes, I was serious," Hermione scowled, not looking at him.

"Sorry, I never thought I'd get an answer like that out of anyone except Mooney," Sirius said.

"Yes, well Professor..." Hermione stopped herself, quickly, not thinking calling Remus Lupin: Professor Lupin would be a wise choice, especially since she wasn't supposed to know Remus' little pet name. Her next thought was to use Professor Snape's name, but she suddenly realized that he was also going to school in this year.

"Who?" Sirius asked.

"Er, um, well Professor Binns even noticed me once, which must mean a bit," Hermione said, thinking quickly. No Binns probably hadn't noticed her, even as she waved her hand to answer his questions in first through fourth year, not knowing that he never wanted an answer.

Sirius laughed, none-the-wiser to her slip up. "You must be lying, Binns didn't even notice, when I charmed Jamsie's shoes to make him tap dance on his desk," Sirius said.

"You did what?" Hermione looked horrified.

"You really are like a carbon copy of Lily Evans," Sirius laughed.

"I'm sure," Hermione huffed, sinking in her seat.

"Now, now, don't be sore. I was only kidding," Sirius gave her his charming roguish smile, which only made her glare back. She had seen that smile before, but not directed at her. It was usually directed at a pretty girl walking down the street. After Sirius' name had been cleared, he had hardly stayed in the house very long.

Hermione didn't respond to him, just took out a large book that she had borrowed from Alberto: Wandless Magic and How to Control It. She had almost laughed when he gave it to her, smiling broadly at her. "I'm sure next time you'll calm yourself while using it, correct?" he had asked, with a 'you had better' tone that Remus always hinted with. The professor was indeed very pleasant and from that second on, she knew she was going to like him.

She began reading, and got halfway through the book before Sirius asked what it was. She looked up in surprise at his sudden curiosity. She must have been reading for at least three hours, during which he had been writing in a notebook.

She lifted it up to show him the cover. He laughed. "I'll bet Professor Spring gave you that," Sirius said.

"I wouldn't bet against it," Hermione said, wittily. "Why the sudden interest?" Hermione questioned.

"I finished writing," he nodded to the closed notebook beside him.

"Really and what exactly were you writing?" Hermione watched him closely.

"Wouldn't you like to know, sweet?" Sirius said, smirking cockily at her.

"Fine, you can have your secrets," Hermione replied.

"What kind of pet are you going to get?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know, honestly. I have a cat, back home, but I'm not quite sure," Hermione began to ponder that for a moment.

"You should get a dog. Dogs are the best," Sirius said.

"**You**'d say that," Hermione stated, before she could stop herself.

"What does that mean?" Sirius asked, suspiciously.

Hermione did not respond, thinking it wise not to.

"Hermione," Sirius persisted.

"Don't do that. God my dad always does that to me," Hermione said, annoyed.

"I asked you a question. Is there something that you'd like to share with me?" he asked.

A smirk dawned on Hermione's face. "Well I didn't want to answer you because I didn't think you'd appreciate knowing that you're hair looks like a stray Pomeranian dog has decided to sleep on your head," Hermione said, smartly. Sirius laughed, and Hermione could tell that he was buying her story completely.

He flipped a mirror out of his pocket.

"You carry a mirror with you?" Hermione sneered at him, playfully.

"It's not for my hair, love," Sirius chuckled. "Come here, I'd like you to meet someone."

Hermione frowned and set her book aside, walking over to sit beside Sirius, who moved closer, saying she had to be able to see into it properly, but Hermione knew what it was upon seeing the front, and knew for a fact they didn't have to be that close to see who was on the other end. Hermione smartly took it from him, tapping her wand on the side and placing it on the floor.

A hologram came out of it, of a person who looked exactly like Harry... so much so that Hermione couldn't stop herself from a sharp intake of breath, knowing instantly that this was James Potter. Just this thought brought it all back to her, as even the sight of Sirius hadn't done. James Potter was dead in her time, long dead. She now remembered how much she had to skirt around these people, had to make sure she didn't change the future, no matter how painful it may be, how much she may have to go through.

"Oh come on, he's not that attractive," Sirius muttered.

"Well, well, someone can finally see who has superior looks, Sirius, and quite a beautiful someone I see," James smiled, charmingly.

"If I were to find you attractive I might have to hurl," Hermione muttered. James caught it and looked hurt.

"NO! I didn't mean it like that. I mean... I know someone who looks almost exactly like you and he was like my brother and..." Hermione trailed off.

"They weren't possibly related to him were they?" Sirius asked hintingly.

"No, of course not. Why would a person who went to the **_Irish Academy for Wizardry_** be related to **James**," Hermione said, emphatically, sending him a warning glare.

"Ah, so James, I should probably tell you the story of how Alaira and I met," Sirius said.

"I go by Hermione," Hermione said, sharply, glaring again at Sirius.

"Ah, anyways. She saw me and she practically threw herself on me," Sirius said.

"You bloody egotistical bastard," Hermione glared. "When you're speaking of one of the most terrifying things that could ever happen: Voldemort actually breaking the unspoken barrier between him and Hogwarts, you somehow make it seem like I'm trying to jump into bed with you," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What? Voldemort was on Hogwart's grounds?" James looked horrified.

"To get Hermione," Sirius nodded, gravely.

"What for?" James asked.

"She showed up in my family's home, but from there I know very little until she arrived at Hogwarts.

_"I suddenly arrived in Black Manor a few days ago, completely disoriented. When I saw where I was I changed my hair and eyes. I did not want to be recognized of course and knew that I would probably fit right in with the different look. When I saw Bellatrix Black, I made up some crock about having run into Sirius and gotten injured, and apperated to the closest place I could think off. I acted like such an arrogant bitch that I swear my old potions master start laughing to think about it, and he does not laugh," Hermione reinforced, smiling at the thought of the only time she had seen Severus Snape smile, but it passed quickly. "Anyways, I was extremely lucky that she took me directly to Scott Black," Hermione said sarcastically. "And I became even more ecstatic when it happened to be that the Dark Lord was having a nice little cup of tea with Mr. Black," Hermione muttered._

_"I tried to play the part of deep anger against Professor Dumbledore, but he asked me something and I called him Tom, not really thinking it through before I did it, and Mr Black got extremely angry. He grabbed me by the shoulders, but I already had my wand in hand and I pushed it against his stomach and threatened him to make him let me go, which he did. I put a barrier around myself, a simple but powerful barrier. Voldemort said something about me having the same power as he, power that the headmaster could not understand. I was furious and foolishly screamed out at him pronouncing my loyalty to the professor," Hermione sighed, deeply._

_"Thinking back at it, if I had not become so angry I would have been a very valuable spy for Albus. I am sorry for doing that, somewhat," Hermione mumbled._

_"What happened after that?" James persisted, not liking that she had broken the story. For some reason it was one he could not wait to hear the rest of, in a sickening way._

_"Sorry," Hermione apologized, thinking back so she could get back on track. "I reinforced the barrier and ran for the door as fast as I could, but they did not come out after me, probably not wanting to reveal number twelve, but I got out safely and successfully called to the Night Bus._

_"They said the closest they could get me to Hogwarts was Hogsmeade, obviously due to their policy. As the doors were opened, however, a masked death eater was revealed standing just outside the door. I think that was the moment I finally couldn't take in anything else," Hermione said, embarrassedly_

"The man, Matt I think his name was pulled me back just in time out of the way of a curse and yelled something to the driver, while I crawled into the corner like a little girl. That's all I can remember of that night," Hermione said.

"No one blames you for that by the way. It's called being human. If I were you I wouldn't have been able to take that much," Sirius said, softly. Hermione shrugged, frowning, and walking straight threw James' hologram to sit by the window and close her eyes, resting against the wall, wanting to sleep.

"Sirius," James was waiting for his friend to tell the rest of what happened. Sirius resumed the story.

_"We saw the dark mark over Hogsmeade and ran out in just our pajamas," Sirius smiled at the remembrance of seeing Albus in rubber duck pajama pants and button up shirt. The night bus had pulled up and Matthew Brody-Johnson, you know the Quiditch Captain two years ago, the Hufflepuff," James nodded. "Well he ran out not looking very good. He said he couldn't get Hermione to move. Dumbledore was extremely confused when Matt said that Death Eaters were after her. He couldn't get her to move, neither could Professors McGonnagal or Spring. I finally got her to respond and she grabbed me in a hug, for some reason that she has yet to explain," Sirius looked up at her, expectantly, but she just shook her head._

_"So I got her off the bus and we find that there are death eaters coming. Matt told us then, well I figured out from what he told me, that Hermione had been at Black Manor. Dumbledore, McGonnagal, and Spring were all holding up a barrier, and that driver drove off in a hurry to get his bus out of the way."_

_"I left her inside the door out of the line of fire with Matt, and told him to watch her and went to help the professors and tell Dumbledore what I had found out. Dumbledore called to them to call a truce because they wouldn't be able to break the barrier and he already knew what they wanted. Voldemort was surprised that we didn't know Hermione and told us that she had, in his words exactly, 'singing praises to you despicable muggle-loving wizards, implying that your power was more than mine.'" Sirius snorted. "He actually presumed to say his doubts on the headmaster's power when he couldn't even get through his simple barrier with two-dozen death eaters. He said something about her never being about to defy him and she was suddenly walking away from Matt, who couldn't even get the courage up to stop her."_

"Do you even know what you did Hermione, when you left the safe spot behind the door, right out into the open?" Sirius smirked, looking at Hermione, who was pretending to sleep on the other side of the comparment. James' hologram turned to look at her, curiously, but she did not speak, nor look at them.

"You said these exact words: "I will forever be by Albus Dumbledore's side. I would die before joining you." Then you cursed the hell out of his ass, a curse that none of us had ever heard of," Sirius said, sounding proud to know her, somehow.

"What happened to him?" James frowned.

"He went unconscious. She knocked him out cold," Sirius said.

"How?" James turned to Hermione, in awe.

"I don't know," Hermione whispered, not opening her eyes.

"But you must know how, if you did it," James argued.

"I told you, I told Sirius, and I told Dumbledore that I- do- not- know- what- happened! Is it really that hard to understand? I've never fought him before, never crossed wands with him. It was always Harry! HARRY FOUGHT, HARRY IS PROBABLY STILL FIGHTING AND I HAVE ALWAYS JUST BEEN BY HIS SIDE!!!" Hermione yelled, grabbing her cloak and stalking out of the compartment, leaving two stunned Marauders in her wake.

There I hope that explains what Hermione's feeling about the "event" of her curse. I'm sorry if you really didn't want to read the recap, but I hope my italics helped maybe so you didn't read what you didn't have to. Smiles apologetically.

Next Chapter: MEETING SNAPE!

Read and Review please and thanks!!!

greeky


	7. Whose side are you on?

Sorry it took so long to update, but here's the chapter I promised! Without further ado…

Hermione walked to the front of the train, wanting to get as far away from Sirius and James' hologram as possible. Hermione was confused and having them around helped nothing. Seeing two faces she knew so well, but weren't what she knew them to be, was mind-rattling.

"Hello dear, would you like something off the cart, you look hungry," the kind young stewardess asked, when Hermione reached the front of the train, about to go into the first compartment on the right.

"N  
o thank you," she said in a sweet voice, before disappearing in the compartment. She felt beyond exhausted. All she wanted to do at this point was to curl up and go to sleep. She put a ward on the door, and a magical lock, before conjuring up a blanket, magically conjoining the two seats on either side of the compartment to a small bed, after which she curled up and fell asleep.

"Alaira!" she awoke to hear Sirius pounding on the door, shouting at her. She groaned and sat up, with the flick of her wand everything she had changed about the room was back to normal and she was sitting on one of the seats. She stood, removing the ward and magical lock.

Brushing her sleek black hair out of her face, she walked to the door and opened it, just as Sirius was about to continue his pounding.

"I take it we're here?" she asked, stepping out.

"It's about bloody time," Sirius said, irritated.

"Let's go. There's no use keeping the Leaky Cauldron waiting. Are you ready to apparate?" she asked.

"James and I don't apparate, not since we splinted a year ago," Sirius said.

"We'll be taking a taxi then?" she asked.

"A what?" Sirius frowned.

"Follow me as I do not have the desire to walk to Diagon Alley," Hermione said. She went to the stewardess and asked to have some wizarding money exchanged for muggle money.

"Of course," the stewardess said cheerfully. "I always carry around muggle money. You never know if you'll be staying in Hogsmeade of London when you're on the Hogwarts Express," the woman said, very friendly.

"Will it be all right?" the woman said, handing her just enough money.

"Of course. Thank you very much," Hermione said.

"Any time, oh and by the way. The conductor has something the headmaster wanted to give you," the woman said, going up to where the conductor sat. They spoke in the small room for a few minutes before the woman came back with a small pouch in hand. She gave it to Hermione and waved goodbye.

Sirius stayed at her heels as she started off the train. He was watching the pouch in her hand expectantly. "Aren't you going to open it?" he asked anxiously.

"No," Hermione stated simply, walking briskly through the wall into Kings Cross Station. It was very busy at Six o'clock so Hermione grabbed onto Sirius' sleeve and pulled him along through the station to the front doors. She dragged him out and to the street, calling for a taxi, which came immediately. She instructed him to get in and he did with much reluctance.

Hermione told the driver the street, and named the bookstore that was nearby and they arrived their in under ten minutes, Sirius fidgeting the entire way. Hermione paid the driver, and thanked him, before getting out. Sirius couldn't work out how to open the door and he fought with it all the time until Hermione walked around and opened it for him. He leapt out. "Sorry, he's claustrophobic," Hermione said to the driver, who was looking at Sirius like a he was a madman. The driver nodded in understanding and drove off.

"God, Sirius, are you trying to embarrass me?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "You can't handle a taxi?"

Sirius just glared at her, angrily. Hermione just smiled back.

"Oh, and by the way, James is meeting us at the leaky cauldron later tonight, when we do our shopping," he said.

"I'm doing my shopping now. You can do what you like," Hermione said, scanning the street for the leaky cauldron. She spotted it and walked directly towards it.

"Fine, I don't need you to be entertained," Sirius snapped.

"Good, I'll pay for our rooms, then I'll be gone into town to buy my supplies; you and James have fun," Hermione said, as she entered the Leaky Cauldron. Upon entering she immediately saw Lawson Malfoy of all people, Draco Malfoy's grandfather, about forty in this time, she supposed. He nodded to her, and she just glared back.

Hermione kept her hand on her wand which was in her pocket, as he stood to walk to her. She pulled out some money, and shoved it into Sirius' hands, her eyes not leaving those of Lawson Malfoy. "Go pay for the rooms, Sirius," she ordered.

"But…"

"I swear if you're not away in three seconds I will blast you with a curse that you will be seven and a half feet under by the time it's over," Hermione snapped. Sirius, slightly scared of Hermione, went to the innkeeper, keeping his eyes on her the whole time.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said in a cold courteous voice.

"Miss Howard. How very coincidental running into you here. You don't seem afraid," he said in a smooth, aristocratic voice, which his son had obviously inherited.

"Because I'm not afraid, Mr. Malfoy; I know enough of your family to know that you're too cunning to flat out attack me right now, even if I do pose the biggest direct threat to you right now," Hermione said, in a matter-of-fact voice.

"You know me too well, and I believe this is the first time we have seen each other is it not?" Lawson asked.

"I believe it is, _sir_," Hermione said, with mocking in her voice.

"That's too bad. You are quite a beautiful young woman. If you did not pose such a threat that even the dark lord respected you, I would take you where you stand," he said, in a low voice, that he much have thought seductive.

"Take me? What type of threat is that, Mr. Malfoy? If it is something other than on my life, but on my spirit, tell me now, because I would have no regrets killing you if such a threat were made," Hermione snapped, angrily, pointing her wand in the man's face. He cowered away from it, looking like a frightened mouse.

"I hold more power than you will ever dream, Mr. Malfoy. I would keep your words in check around me, sir," she said, dangerously. She knew it was a bluff, but she wanted terribly to play up this image, as he was already so afraid. "There are two things I will not stand for, those who threaten my friends, and those who threaten my honor. Threaten my life all you want and we will see how far that takes you, but threaten my friends or honor and we have a conflict," Hermione said. All eyes in the Leaky Cauldron were on her, and the effect she made upon the great Lawson Malfoy.

She waited until he nodded, slightly, almost unnoticeably, before she walked to Sirius. "I'll be in Diagon Alley if you need me and if any death eaters bother me just remind them that you are my friend," she said loud enough for Lawson to hear. He stalked out of the Leaky Cauldron quickly, with his head held high.

"Cocky bastard," she muttered, before walking out the back to the brick wall. She opened it and walked into Diagon Alley. People were bustling every which way. Hermione waved her wand and her green tank top and black jeans were covered by an emerald cloak. She fit right into the crowd and when she caught the eye of a death eater and he hurried away she began to think over what was happening in her life.

She had appeared, suddenly in the past and had all too quickly been thrown into the position of number one target of the Dark Lord Voldemort, who was at the height of his power. Everyone thought she was more powerful than she actually was and she had just frightened one of the most powerful wizards of the century, knocked out the most powerful wizard of the century a few days prior. Hermione Granger, the muggle-born witch always shadowed by her best friend, had become someone in the past more powerful than anyone could have imagined her to be in the future. She sat down outside Madame Malkins thinking about that for a long time.

She didn't know if she wanted to go back now. She didn't know if she could go back, knowing all she could be in this time and age. She could do anything, be anyone. She could make a potion to change the wizarding world, invent a spell that would tilt the scales in favor of the order, but if she did what would it do to the future. As wrong as the methods of Voldemort were, he had a point that the Muggle and Wizarding worlds couldn't mix and if she did something that changed time too much that could happen, and then where would they be?

Hermione sighed and stood up, going into Madame Malkins. She was quickly ushered by the seamstress herself to have her robes fitted.

When the woman asked what house she was to have her robes fitted for, she grudgingly muttered Slytherin. The welcome she had had at Madame Malkins all but fell away at that remark, which Hermione noted dryly. When she was finished, she quickly left, and went to Flourish and Blotts. She was taking all advanced classes this year, and had to get books that would show price for that fact. She felt horribly guilty spending Albus' money, and as she paid for the expensive books she swore to herself that she would pay him back.

After exiting Flourish and Blotts, and going to the Apothecary and the Cauldron shop, she levitated all her things back to the Leaky Cauldron. She went up to the room the innkeeper told her to go to, and found it was unlocked for her. The second she walked in, she saw the key on the dresser. "Very smart, let's just leave the key to Voldemort's main target on the dresser in her room," Hermione muttered, irritated. Piling all the things in the trunk at the end of the bed that had been left for her to take to Hogwarts, she locked it up and left the room, going back out into Diagon Alley.

She went directly to the Animal Emporium, a horrible name in her opinion. Hermione wanted to buy a cat to keep her company and possibly go back to her time with her when that time came. She walked in and looked around. It really was like a warehouse inside and that made her sick to her stomach.

Hermione began to look up and down the aisles of small cages. She hadn't found the cats, just having seen plenty of sad-looking puppies. She saw a small baby puppy shivering in the corner of its cage and her resolve to get a cat snapped. She went to it quickly and let it out, picking it up and stroking its fur comfortingly.

It was a skinny little guy, all black, and a mutt the sign read. She read further and found it was a black lab-German shepherd mix. She knew it would grow to be huge, but at that moment, she wanted to protect it and the only way she could do that was to buy it.

She quickly carried the dog to the front and was given a curious look when she wouldn't let go of the puppy. "How much," Hermione asked stiffly.

"For that runt mutt, only Five Galleons," the man at the counter said. He held out his hand and Hermione shoved the money in it.

"It's a magical dog, so it won't need training, but you do need to keep a collar on it as with all dogs. It's good to keep a barrier up so that the dogs can't leave your property," the man said. The dog comes with the collar it's already wearing. We need to make tags for it however. We make the tags the muggle way with one of these machines," he said. Hermione followed him to a machine. She held the puppy in one arm, and he nuzzled against her neck, clinging to her. She tapped the screen for the tag with one side having the Hogwarts crest. With one hand, she typed her house, her room in the castle and thought up a name for him, "Doyle." In seconds the little tag popped out and the man fastened it to a black collar and handed it to Hermione. She thanked him, and put it around the little puppy's neck. The little puppy licked her ear and she laughed, walking out and carrying the little dog in her arms.

What she saw when she walked out, however, changed her mood quickly. Her eyes narrowed, and she set Doyle down at her side. He stayed close. The alley was cleared and Sirius and James had their wands pointed at a wandless boy with pale skin, and black hair cut short and spiked up in the front. She studied his familiar face for a moment, before it hit her. This was Severus Snape. She drew her wand and walked briskly to Snape and as James cast a spell at him, she blocked and sent one at him. He fell to the ground in a full body-bind. "Sirius, put your wand away you arrogant bastard," she said, in an angry tone. Snape and Sirius looked at her, both in utter shock.

"Hermione, he's a death eater," Sirius cried, indignantly.

"Don't make me curse you, Sirius. I don't want to," Hermione said, her wand shaking in her hand.

A few order members stepped out of the crowds, their wands pointed at Hermione.

"Don't hurt her!" Sirius snapped at them. "This is Alaira Howard."

"Alaira? Then what the bloody hell is she protecting a death eater for?" the unmistakable voice of Alaster Moody fell on Hermione's ears.

"Do you have solid proof that he is a full-fledged Death Eater?" Hermione demanded, knowing very well that he was in this time.

"I am," Severus Snape's cool voice whispered.

"I'll talk to you later," Hermione gritted back. "Sirius, lower your wand," Hermione ordered again.

"No, not until you tell me what the bloody hell is going on," he snapped.

"Go," Hermione said to Severus, in a commanding tone.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked.

"We all have choices, and we all make the wrong ones sometimes, but in time you will see that. Until you do see it, no wand can help change you. You have to change yourself, as corny and stupid as that sounds," Hermione replied.

"Hermione, move," Sirius said, angrily. Hermione positioned herself fully in front of Severus, blocking any spell from any of the order members. "Now go," Hermione said. Severus disappeared with a crack, and left Hermione surrounded by three very angry Order Members: Sirius Black, Alaster Moody, and Arthur Weasley.

Now, if you'll please, I have just bought a pet that I'd like to get back to my room," Hermione stated, reversing the spell she had put on James, turning and scooping Doyle up into her arms and walking off towards the Leaky Cauldron, people stepping aside in the crowd to make way for her.

Hermione felt a hand grab her shoulder, and she was pulled around. It was Sirius. "Don't touch me," Hermione pulled away, clinging tightly to Doyle.

"Why did you protect him?" Sirius demanded.

"I am the one whose judgement we will follow as I know what is going to happen and every time you confront that man is going to make it worse on you in the future, Sirius Black," Hermione snapped, continuing ahead to the leakey cauldron.

She walked in nodding hello to the innkeeper, Jonah, who smiled back, broadly. He was a friendly sort of fellow, Hermione would come to find, and had only seen her when she made Lawson Malfoy back off, so she had in his eyes immediately become his friend, even if they hadn't ever spoken.

Hermione entered her room and set Doyle on the ground he ran up and jumped onto the bed, looking the exact opposite of the dog she had seen in the warehouse.

"You little actor," Hermione smiled at him, patting his head. He rolled over, and she scratched his belly.

"Good boy," Hermione smiled. She locked her door, and went over to her bed. She opened the trunk, and took out her Transfiguration book. None of the books for the seventh year advanced classes were different than they were in the future, other than the Transfiguration book, so that was the only book Hermione had to read and she was going to finish it, even if it took all night and all the train ride the next day. She had never, not read all the books before the school term in all her years at Hogwarts and even if this was technically a different time and year that would not change.

Hermione curled up in bed, with Doyle at her side, contently laying against her, and she began to read. She finished half the book surprisingly by midnight and decided that if it only took her four hours to read the first half, it wouldn't take her much longer to read the rest, so she would read it the next day on the train to Hogwarts. Sighing tiredly, she looked down at the little Doyle. He was all black except a light sprinkling of chocolate-brown across his forehead. He slept on his side, curled up against Hermione's stomach, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Hermione smiled a patted him on the head, before wrapping an arm around him and falling asleep, remembering to set an alarm spell on her wand before she drifted off to sleep.

Hermione awoke, magically at Four-Thirty the next morning. She quickly dressed in black slacks, and a black tank top, then pulled her black robes over it. She felt sick to her stomach when she tightened the Slytherin tie around her neck, but swallowed hard and bore it. After, she carefully pinned her Head Girl badge onto her robes, and deemed herself ready to leave. She re-charmed her hair (charms wear off, I think) to its black state, having decided that she liked it. Her eyes she didn't change colors. They remained their soft toffee color and she liked it that way. She waited anxiously until five, reading from the transfiguration book.

At exactly five o'clock, she stood and walked across the hall to Sirius' room, and opened it with the key she had been given. She walked to his bed and told him to get up. He didn't move. James, who was on the floor on the other side of the bed was snoring. "James! Sirius! Get up or we'll be late!" she snapped.

"Five m-minutes," Sirius muttered, predictably. Hermione raised her wand and had ice-cold water spurt out of the end onto Sirius, who was nestled warmly in his blankets. "BLOODY HELL!" he shouted. That woke James up as well.

"That serves you right for not getting up when I told you to. You have wasted three minutes of my morning already. You have twelve minutes to get ready, Sirius. James, if you're coming with us to Kings Cross, then you have the same. I don't know about you, but I'm apparating," Hermione said. Hermione had waited and now she was going back to Hogwarts Magically. As ever she was eager to get to classes, and would not be held back by Sirius and James.

"It's FIVE AM! Are you insane!?" he shouted.

"If you want someone to apparate you to the train you'd better hurry your asses up. How will you get there without me?" Hermione asked.

"I'll bloody walk!" Sirius shouted.

"No, you won't. I'm going to make sure you're on that train with me, and you will go with me there," Hermione stated, before closing the door. "Ten minutes now."

Hermione pocketed her wand and walked into her room. She performed a simple shrinking spell on her trunk and pocketed it. She then scooped up Doyle and made for the door. "Are you two ready yet?" Hermione asked.

"Just a second!" Sirius snapped through the door. The door opened and they came out, pulling their large trunks behind them. They started to drag them down the corridor.

"Oh for heaven sake," Hermione rolled her eyes. She pointed her wand at Sirius and muttered, "Minamino." The trunk shrunk and Hermione picked it up. She tossed it to him. "Put it in your pocket," she instructed. He glared at her, but did as he was told. She did the same with James' trunk.

"There, now, can we eat breakfast and go?" she asked, annoyed. She walked quickly down the stairs ahead of them.

"Bloody snob," Sirius muttered.

"Snob? I'm a snob because I've already know spells that are at second year level, well possibly third?" Hermione asked.

"No, because you act superior and I still want an explanation for what happened last night," Sirius said.

"You'll get it when I say you'll get it," Hermione said. Doyle, whose little puppy face was just about Hermione's shoulder, his little paws on her shoulder, let out a little yip at Sirius, as if that would put him in his place. Hermione giggled, and patted his head.

"I told you that you'd get a dog," Sirius said.

"That has nothing to do with you. Have you been in that horrid animal warehouse?" Hermione asked. "Poor little Doyle was shaking and shivering in his cage."

"Doyle: dark foreigner? That's the best you could come up with?" Sirius asked.

"It suits just fine thank you," Hermione snapped.

"You know what a good name is: Snuffles," Sirius said.

"Figures," Hermione thought. "Good for you, but this is my little Doyle and that's not going to change."

"Isn't that a Saint Bernard? Those dogs don't stay little, if you didn't know Alaira," Sirius said.

"My name is Hermione, Sirius," Hermione stated, annoyed.

"Hermione Sirius… that's a good name," Sirius said.

"Damn you," Hermione muttered. "I'm going to teach Doyle to attack you and only you and I'll change his name to Killer, and have him eat you when he gets big," Hermione said, glowering.

"I'm sure you will," Sirius said.

They got downstairs and it was expectably empty, except the innkeeper, Jonah. He was eating his breakfast.

"Hello there," he said, cheerily. "Would you like to join me?" he asked. They did. Food appeared on the table when they sat down.

"House Elves?" Hermione asked, darkly.

"Yes, we have four house elves, very agreeable," Jonah said. Hermione sat down and pushed her plate away, not eating.

"What's with you?" Sirius asked.

"I am opposed to the use of house elves. You wouldn't understand," Hermione muttered.

"How can someone be opposed to House Elves?" James frowned.

"They are used viciously like slaves," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

Hermione was silent throughout the rest of breakfast. When Sirius stood up so did she. "Are we going now?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Don't get crabby with us because you didn't eat," Sirius muttered.

"Shut up," she muttered. She placed a hand on his arm, then one on James', when he stood. She focused her energy and the world began to swirl. Seconds later they were standing on platform nine-and-three-quarters, looking at the Hogwarts Express.

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	8. Burning and Barriers

Ephona: Thanks, I will

Miss Elvira Dark: I'm glad I impressed you. Slytherin thanks you

Elra of Mirkwood: well I haven't really had more time. My Acc English teacher, gave us twelve chapters to read of Dickens and thirty pages of Rinaldi, and a journal two write every day, but I got it up as soon as I could. Mrs. Godfrey's class is killer

Tina: Thanks!

DK: glad you like it. I got it up as soon as I could

Shelliesnape: There's going to be much more Severus when they get back to school. I made Hermione a Slytherin for a reason. Smiles evilly.

Gywnn-Potter: Dogs rule, don't they? Again, this is as soon as I could get it up, sorry.

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she took in the sight of the train. It was burning black and she saw a student in one of the windows. She ran to the train, shouting a spell. The side of the train, by the compartment where a student was trapped, tore off and Hermione pulled the girl out. The girl was shivering and crying. Hermione held the girl back against her, still staring at the flames. Doyle barked at the fire, in little yipes, as if that would make it stop.

At a scream, she thrust the girl back into Sirius' arms, before he could run in trying to be the hero. She muttered a spell and apperated onto the train, looking around. "Where are you!" she called.

"IN HERE!" the voice screamed back.

"Alohamora!" she called, running for the compartment door. It was thrown open before she even reached it. She grabbed the arm of the young student and apperated off the train.

"Alaira, what are we going to do?" Sirius demanded.

"I-I don't know," Hermione frowned. "Damn it," she muttered. Only a few students were scattered about the platform. She looked at them, then at the sky where the dark mark began to appear.

"Why didn't you know that this was going to happen?" Sirius snapped.

"It shouldn't have. I must be the reason it did," Hermione said, suddenly realizing it herself.

"James, get the students out of here. Take them to Diagon Alley," Hermione said, quickly, picking up Doyle and handing him to James. The little puppy barked at her, not wanting to leave, but James kept a good grip on him.

James nodded, hurrying off, after shouting for the other students to follow him, and leave everything else behind.

Sirius stood at Hermione's side, standing straight, looking at her, as if she knew what to do.

Hermione's wand shot up, as they heard someone apparate. It was Severus Snape. He held up both hands, showing that he didn't have his wand in hand.

"You saved my life, I save yours, Howard," he said, placing his hand on both shoulders, ignoring Sirius' wand raising to the side of his head.

"I managed to leave the meeting early. Get out of here, before they come," he said, before disappearing again. Hermione grabbed Sirius' arm and apperated. When they appeared in the Leaky Cauldron, she fell to her knees. She never was a strong apperator, even after passing the test, and doing it three times in five minutes made her power dwindle.

"Alaira, are you all right?" Sirius asked, crouching beside her.

"Tom, James will be here soon with the students from Hogwarts. Can you keep them here and safe? Voldemort has attacked Platform 9 and three-quarters," Hermione said, standing. The young man flinched at Voldemort's name, but nodded, looking very pale.

"What are we going to do?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing, except help the muggle-born first years. They do not know what the dark mark looks like. The mark will keep away wizards, but not muggles or muggleborns," Hermione said, quickly.

"You can't apparate again!" he exclaimed when she grabbed his shoulder.

"Then apparate us, oh wait, you can't," Hermione glared, venomously.

"Fine, I will, but if you get splinched it's not my fault," Sirius snapped.

"To the alley beside Kings Cross, the apparation point," Hermione stated. Sirius nodded, and wrapped an arm around her waist. She decided to ignore that for now, and they appeared seconds later outside kings cross. Screams came from inside.

"Revelus Magi," she whispered, swishing her wand, going to the edge of the alley. Yellow lights began to swirl around every single muggle, green swirled around two pure-blood wizards running towards kings cross, blue around the scattered half-bloods and a brilliantly shining red swirled dangerously around the muggle-born witches and wizards, two small children near the door, looking around, quite frightened.

Hermione ran towards them and threw them into Sirius' arms, turning to their muggle parents that had just-tinted orange lights around them, showing that they had the tiniest amount of magic in them.

"I am the Head Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry. I also work for the Order of the Phoenix, who fights against that mark right there. Sirius Black is taking your children to Diagon Alley, and if you value your lives, you will get out of here, now," she said, swiftly. They stared at her, dumbstruck, the two pairs of wide-eyed terrified parents. "RUN!" she shouted at them. They did. Sirius disappeared with the two students.

Hermione ran at the pure-blood pair trying to run for the station. "Your child is in Diagon Alley if he or she was here five minutes ago," she told them. They nodded, glancing at the Head Girl badge, and disapperating.

She began running to the halfbloods and telling them to take themselves to Diagon Alley. Some had students with them, some were looking horrified at Kings Cross, thinking their children were in there, but soon, Hermione had made sure the only lights around were yellow and a few orange, which meant they had the capability to have a wizard child.

She turned towards the door of Kings Cross, and held up her hands. A Gryffindor-Red shield sprung up in the doorway, just as a masked Death Eater appeared at the door.

"Well, if it isn't Lucius Malfoy," she muttered, not knowing how she knew it was him.

"Alaira Howard," came an angry reply. More death Eaters began to appear at the door, throwing spells at the barrier. Terrified muggles began running every-which-way behind Hermione, but she closed her eyes, concentrating every last bit of her power on the barrier. She heard pops all around her and she opened her eyes, looking around, being careful to keep the barrier up. Order members had begun to surround her reinforcing the barrier with their own wands.

"Looks like you have no way of getting through," Sirius scoffed at them.

"So it would seem," a masked death eater said, turning swiftly to go back to the platform where they could apperate away. The barrier with all the order members prevented any apparation in the area.

"Again, Alaira, good show," Sirius said, clapping her on the back.

"My bloody name is Hermione, Sirius Black. It's not difficult to understand!" she shouted at him. "Besides, I didn't do anything any other Order Member wouldn't have."

"What do you mean any **other**?" Sirius frowned.

"Never mind… Damn it," she cursed. "Headmaster, this wasn't supposed to happen. They must have been here for me," Hermione muttered. "I have never heard of an attack on Platform Nine and three quarters," Hermione said.

"You're changing more than you thought by being here, Miss Howard," Dumbledore pondered, darkly.

"Much more and now I believe, it's irreversible," Hermione rubbed her temple, tiredly.

"They've probably destroyed the train," she pointed out. "How are we going to get the students safely to Hogwarts?"

"They're safe?" Dumbledore let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Of course they are. What kind of head girl do you think I am?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "The students were my first priority. I just hope we got them all out," she mumbled. She began to get disoriented by all the green, blue and red lights around her. She waved her wand, muttering, "Finite Incantatem."

"What did you cast?" Dumbledore asked, curiously.

"A revelus magi," Hermione replied, pocketing her wand. "So I could make sure the muggle-borns got out, and that the full-and-half-blood parents knew their children were at Diagon Alley."

"Very clever," Dumbledore nodded. He started to lead the group of Order Members towards the station and aurors began apparating all around them, following them without question.

Muggle bodies were scattered all over the station. "Maybe I shouldn't have taken it off," she muttered, almost gagging at the sight of so many dead bodies. "Revelus Magi," she said, softly. Dim yellow lights floated over the dead bodies. There were a few orange, but no actual wizards or witches. "Finite Incantatem," she mumbled.

"They're all muggles," she stated, completely sure, to Dumbledore, who nodded gravely.

"I hope you won't mind my leaving, but I don't have a strong stomach for this," Hermione said, feebily.

"Of course, Remus, escort Miss Howard to Headquarters," Dumbledore ordered, briskly.

If Hermione hadn't been feeling so sick, she might have laughed at the sight of the young Remus Lupin. He had curly blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. He was, in a word, adorable. He offered her his arm, always the gentleman, which she looped her own through and he apperated them from the horrible sight of all those dead bodies, littered about the station.

"So you're her?" he studied her face carefully, when they appeared in a bright building, with all white walls. It was a large place, the entrance hall. It had a beautiful chandelier and a marble staircase leading up to the next floor, ten feet above. "You're Alaira Howard?" he pressed.

"Yes, I'm Alaira Howard. So, I see you've been speaking with Sirius and James," she said. He nodded, tentatively. "Then you know that I go by Hermione," she stated. Again, he nodded.

"Maybe you could teach Sirius how to use that name," she muttered.

"Sirius? Learn?" he gave her a funny look, leading her into the large white kitchen in the next room. She chuckled, feebly at his attempt at humor. He led her to a table, where she sat. She rested her head in her arms on the table.

"So, is that the first dead body you've seen?" he asked.

"No, I've seen plenty since the summer of my fifth year," Hermione muttered, then suddenly scolded herself. Telling him the future, no matter how vague, was extremely wrong.

"You were only sixteen?" he frowned, sympathetically.

"Indeed," she nodded. She thought about Sirius, and how they had thought he was dead when he fell in the well. Obviously they had been mistaken. "Ya since he's the one who tried to stop me from playing with the hourglass," she thought.

"Would you like something to eat?" Remus asked, going to the fridge.

"Are you serious, I'm going to lose what I didn't eat this morning," Hermione said, dizzily.

"Suit yourself. I'm going to have a bit of cereal," Remus stated.

"What is it with men and food?" she inquired.

"Just instinct I guess," Remus shrugged, offering her a slight smirk.

She shook her head. "He's odd in the future, he's odder now. What was I expecting?" she thought to herself, slightly amused.

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	9. Loyalties are Tricky Things

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Hysterically Insane Author: I'm glad you liked my made-up spell. I like it too. Smiles… thanks for your review.

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Hermione drank a large cup of coffee, while she watched Remus scarf down his bowl of cereal, but somehow, even while shoving cereal down his throat, he looked polite and sweet. It was amazing. She studied him, carefully. His eyes were even wolf-like. His face was already scarred at a young age, but not as bad. He was pale, and Hermione could guess why. The full moon had to be soon. She made a mental note to check the lunar dates for this time.

"So, Alaira, why is it you transferred?" Remus asked, as he pushed his bowl away.

"I dabbled in the Dark Arts at Beauxbatons, and they didn't want me there anymore," Hermione half-lied, enjoying the shock on Remus' face. It was only a half-lie because she actually did dabble a bit in dark potions and curses. Hermione's form of dabbling meant she studied it for hours on end, because she hated to be ignorant in anything. She had been in eighth grade at eleven, studying Geometry, while other eleven-year-olds were working hard on the multiplication table. When she entered the wizarding world, her tenacity only increased.

"You're joking right?" Remus asked, his jaw hanging open.

"I know curses that could make you revert to fetal position you'd be so terrified," Hermione smirked. Maybe if she scared people enough, they'd start respecting her. She should try this in her own time with Ron.

"Alaira, what spell was it that you used when..." Remus trailed off.

Hermione didn't bother correcting him with her name. She had given up hope with the marauders. "I honestly have no idea, Remus. If I did, I would say so, I swear. I can barely remember that night, let alone tell you about it, though I'm sure Sirius gave you a more colorful version of what happened. Contrary to his belief, I didn't 'jump into his arms,'" Hermione stated.

"It wouldn't make you all that different. All the girls at Hogwarts do," Remus smirked.

"I'm not all the girls at Hogwarts," Hermione growled, her eyes flashing. "Let's go to Diagon Alley and help with the students," she said, glaring at him.

They managed to get all the students to Hogwarts using floo powder. Hermione noticed most of the seventh year Slytherins arrived late, but decided not to say anything. She caught a pair of black eyes, as Severus Snape walked into the Cauldron. He walked directly to her and took her by the arm, pulling her aside into the shadows. He held her arm in a tight grip.

"You bluffed with Malfoy didn't you?" Snape hissed.

"I'm not talking to you about any of my actions. You're a death eater remember," Hermione held back a smile.

"You think this is funny?" he growled, pulling the arm of his robes up to show her the tattoo. "This... you think..."

"I'm not saying anything if you're going to be so violent and that's not what's so funny. I couldn't tell you if I wanted to. You wouldn't understand," Hermione pulled back. "Are you trying to scare me with this? I can see right through you, Severus Snape. This isn't you, and I know that," Hermione said, placing her hand on the tattoo, unflinchingly.

"So you're a seer now?" he glared, pulling his arm away from her touch.

"Divination is the most worthless branch of magic there ever was. Now, transfiguration and potions, solid subjects that hold more power than anyone could ever know," Hermione said, putting her hand back at her side.

"Do you know any curses or is everything I've heard of you so far a lie?" Snape questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Though my knowledge of the dark arts isn't incredibly extensive and my power isn't as great as people think, but I do know my way around a wand and that ability I will not have you questioning. Besides, wand-waving is so tedious," she chuckled at her mockery of part of his first year speech.

"Alaira, what the hell are you doing!" a loud, angry voice shouted. Almost everyone was through the fireplace, but Sirius and James had spotted them. "I told Dumbledore not to trust you. It was suspicious that you had something to do with Sirius' family, but first you protect Snivellous then you are talking to him in dark corners!" James said, angrily, his wand out, pointed at Hermione. She fumbled with her own wand. Severus pushed her behind him, his own wand in his hand, pointed strongly at James.

"Leave her alone, Potter," Snape said his voice deadly low.

"You think you're going to stop me. Her claiming loyalty to Dumbledore is despicable! She should pay for her lies and she shall," James snapped.

"No one has ever questioned my loyalty to the headmaster, and no one shall start now, Potter," she said, sounding uncannily like Snape himself. She stepped out from behind him, her wand on James.

"How can you claim loyalty to the head of the order of the Phoenix, and at the same time keep protecting him?" Sirius shouted.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM!" she shouted. "There are things that happen that you will not understand for years to come Sirius Black! I'm not sure if you ever understood!" she screamed at him.

"Miss Granger what is going on?" Albus Dumbledore's voice rang out. Severus slunk away, before the headmaster could acknowledge him.

"She's been speaking with Snape, the death eaters she protected the other day, and look, the daily prophet came out. Guess who made front page," Sirius pulled the paper out of one of the pockets of his robes. Hermione standing in front of Snape, her wand pointed at James was what met Hermione's first glance. She scowled and jammed her wand back into her pocket, taking the paper and reading the article quickly.

"This is rubbish, a death eater indeed," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes.

"How do we know you're not? You seem pretty cozy with Snivellous," Sirius growled.

"Don't call him that. You don't even know him," Hermione glared, darkly.

"Forgive me. So how many times did you fu-" Sirius stopped when Hermione's wand tip pointed at the middle of his forehead.

"Finish that sentence; I dare you," she growled.

"Sirius, this is highly inappropriate. You know that Alaira is powerful and she proved her loyalty by openly attacking the dark lord," Dumbledore said.

"MY NAME IS HERMIONE!" Hermione shouted, letting out a frustrated sigh and stalking to the fire. "Hogwarts, Head Common Room," she said, loudly, anger in her voice.

Snape woke with new memories again. Hermione had changed much more then she tried, just by being there. He wondered how much of her talk of knowing Dark Arts was actually true. At least she hadn't claimed to know more than he did. He could not even have a chance of controlling what his younger self did. He stood and pulled on his frock coat and robes, buttoning every single button. He walked down the stairs of Black Manor, briskly and came into the dining room to be met with a vicious scowl and a grave smile. One was from the headmaster and the other from Sirius.

"What the hell kind of ideas were you putting into that girl's mind before she left? She protects you more than she has ever protected Ron or Harry!" Sirius shouted, rising.

"Severus, we may need to know what has transpired between the two of you during her extra classes, so we might better know why she is acting this way towards you and James," Albus said.

"Why she's acting that way?" Severus echoed. "Has it not occurred to you the intelligence of that girl and the pride she holds mostly thanks to Potter and Weasley," Severus said. "What more have you done, other than question her loyalty to Albus that might set her off? She does not seem happy with you at the moment?"

"How am I supposed to know? The girl is frustrating and she acts like a death eater. How was I supposed to know?" Sirius snapped.

"Contrary to your belief, Black, I **was** contemplating ways to escape my mark by that time," Snape said. "She may convince me to switch over earlier by accident. Does she have any idea how much she is changing? I barely missed getting caught for the train incident," Snape said, sighing heavily.

"You haven't answered the question, Severus," Albus said, softly.

"Would you like me to tell you that we've been having some torrid love affair?" Snape growled. "Or would you rather that I still hate her for her know-it-all ways? I can't claim either. I'm not involved in any relationship with the girl past friend, but we have become friends in a way. She came to me with theories on potions and pleas for help and I accepted. I didn't know this was going to happen. I can tell you that my younger version could easily love the girl, deeply, something which will most-likely in sequence change my feelings for her," Snape said, scowling.

"You sick bastard!" Sirius shouted, lunging for him. Snape threw him to the side with one quick movement, using Sirius' momentum against him.

"I can not control my past Black! No matter how far this goes, Miss Granger is now the only thing that will determine how different this world will be. She hasn't done anything big yet, but she just might," Snape said. "Befriending me would be the first thing she does wrong."

"Anyone befriending you is wrong, Snape," Sirius scoffed. Snape nodded, before turning and stalking back out of the dining room.

Oh, poor Severus. Hehe. ReviewReviewReview!!!!!!!!

This seemed to work in my story You Can't Petition for a Smart Girl's Heart so I'm going to do it here.

One letter reviews are fine for you lazy kids, though my short chapter may only deserve one letter. I'm sorry, begs on knees for forgiveness from wonderful reviewers.

A-Awesome B-Bad Ass C-Could Use work D-Damn Awful and F-Fuckin' Sucks.


	10. Minnie

I mentioned Snape being head boy in another story and I'm making him head boy in this one. I don't care what people say, James can't have been the head boy… firstly becausehe was never a prefect and secondly... **he caused most of the problems in the school** with Sirius! Why not Snape, then? He's just as good a choice as anyone else, despite being a death eater, which Albus doesn't know for sure, so… oh who cares? Snape is head boy got it?

Goodness, I'm sorry I took so long to update! Here you go

Hermione ran up the stairs and into her room, from the common room, slamming the door behind her angrily. "You can't bloody well say my name, you can't believe me that I'm a bloody good witch and now you pull a god-damned wand on me. NO WONDER HE HATES YOU SO MUCH!" Hermione raved, throwing herself onto the bed. She was just about fed up with Sirius and James. How Lily Potter ever put up with them, she would never know.

"Bastards, who the hell do they think they are? They don't know me, and they never will because I hate them. I…" she muttered. She ranted herself into her sleep.

She awoke at about six, and cursed. She was going to be late for class. She adjusted her robes, straightening her Head Girl pin. She sighed, somewhat glad that Dumbledore had made her Head Girl. She had secretly dreamed that she would be given the badge, but hadn't really mentioned it to anyone. She yawned and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, leaving some of her feathered bangs loose to fall in her eyes. She had always liked her hair, no matter how bushy or unruly it got. It was a part of her.

She walked out of her room, with confidence and walked quickly down the stairs to the common room. She left the Head Common Room and was stopped by the painting.

"Head Girl, you have to set a password," the beautiful young girl in the painting said. The boy beside her nodded in agreement.

"Um, what about the Head Boy?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, Master Severus won't mind you setting the password, Miss Alaira," the boy said.

"Severus? Severus Snape?" Hermione frowned. "He's the Head Boy?"

"Yes, miss, he's already been by here. He said to have you set the password," the girl said, politely.

"Um… Dried Beetles," Hermione said, frowning at her stupid password, but no one would think of it so that was good.

"Very well, you'll have to inform him. It's rare to have a Head Boy and Girl who are both in Slytherin. Gryffindor, sure, but not Slytherin," the girl said.

"I'd imagine," Hermione nodded, remembering that she was indeed a Slytherin. She straightened her Slytherin tie and walked down the hall to the Great Hall, which was on the same floor. She tried to slip into the hall unnoticed, but no luck. The sorting had yet to begun and everyone in the hall looked up at her. She walked briskly to the Slytherin Table and sat in the last seat, preferring to be alone, rather than sit with the rest of the Slytherins, many she could recognize as Death Eaters, well future-death eaters at least, Snape sitting beside Lucius Malfoy at the end of the group, nearest to her.

She closed her eyes, laying her head on her arms, waiting for the sorting ceremony to begin with the first years' entrance.

She jumped when she heard a voice say in her ear, "What's the password." She turned around wand in hand, pointed at none other than Snape. He didn't even flinch. He leaned close for her to whisper it to him.

"The second ingredient in the second stage of making Veritasium," she replied, placing her hand on his chest and pushing him back. "Don't invade my personal space without permission, Snape," she said, crossly.

"My name is Severus. The only people who all me Snape are Gryffindors," Snape growled at her.

"How do you know that I'm not a Gryffindor at heart?" Hermione asked.

"Because you're too smart," he replied, matter-of-factly, before going back to sit by Lucius Malfoy again, as the first years entered the Great Hall. Hermione placed her hand on the ear that he had whispered into. It was tingling from the sensation of his breath upon it.

"Snap out of it, Granger. He's twenty years older than you, not to mention he hates you in twenty years," Hermione scolded herself. She turned to look at the sorting hat. She frowned at the beginning of the song he sang:

_You may not believe me_

_You may think I'm wrong_

_You may not want what you get_

_But know my mind is strong._

_You can go to Gryffindor_

_Where those with courage will forever stay_

_You can go to Hufflepuff_

_Where loyalty is prized._

_You can go to Ravenclaw_

_Where those with wit will persevere_

_You can go to Slytherin_

_Where the dangerously ambitious run amok_

_But in the end, you must know_

_I cannot be questioned_

_I know where you go_

_I know who you are_

_I can see in your head_

_I can tell you where you'll last_

_You may be a Slytherin Hufflepuff_

_You may be a Gryffindor Ravenclaw_

_But I know what I am doing_

_I know how to sort_

_I know that I am the brightest cap_

'_Cause I'm the sorting hat!_

Hermione had an eerie feeling that the hat's song was pointed at her, a Gryffindor Slytherin, thinking the hat was wrong, questioning it. She was sure that he was singing that for her. She thought about it more, and wondered if she hadn't been a muggle born… would she have been sorted into Slytherin? She assumed that was the reason that the hat would change its mind. She hadn't been born in this time so she couldn't be called a muggle-born.

Hermione sighed and tried to concentrate on the students being sorted, but she didn't know any of the names, so her mind began to wander. She wondered if the train had affected the future and if so how much had it done so? And what about her knocking out Voldemort, how much could that have changed? She knew she could very well die in the past. It wasn't even a question in her mind and as Voldemort's number one target that she was bound to die. Somehow she knew that should scare her more than it did. She shivered, hoping to god that Dumbledore could find a way to get her back. If anyone could, she reasoned, it would be him, if he even trusted her anymore that was.

The sorting ended without Hermione really paying attention to it. But when Dumbledore stood she listened, she paid more attention to his opening speech than she ever had, fighting to not think about what was going to happen or what had happened.

"Welcome, students to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, dubiously. Hermione caught the eye of Professor Spring who smiled at her. She smiled back, weakly then looked back at Dumbledore. "We have a new student this year, joining the seventh years as our Head Girl. Please welcome new Slytherin, Miss Alaira Howard," Dumbledore said, grandly waving his arm at her. People looked at her, clapping politely. Hermione frowned, looking away from the Headmaster's intense happy stare.

"Also, our new Head Boy is Severus Snape, congratulations Severus," Dumbledore said. There were many boos from the Gryffindor table, some scattered clapping from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, and loud cheers from the Slytherin table.

"Now, tryouts for the House Quiditch teams will be held on October First this year, and I expect no fireworks this year," Dumbledore said, looking pointedly at Sirius Black, who grinned roguishly.

"Also, the forbidden forest, as its name implies is as always forbidden," Dumbledore stated. "Mr. Filch has added a few things to the list of restricted objects to Hogwarts, and everyone interested can read the full list in his office.

"We have our entire teaching staff back this year, so I believe that is all the announcements. Welcome back and let us make this year one of our best throughout these bad times. And remember, one can turn even the darkest times into bright ones with only a smile," Albus said. "Tuck in!"

Food appeared on all the tables. The Slytherin table was packed with food up to Severus then there was no food except right in front of Hermione. She felt so very alone at that moment, more so than she had been the entire time at Hogwarts. She didn't want to stay in the hall.

Hermione looked up at Dumbledore, who had his eyes on her, without a twinkle, but filled with sadness. She let her question linger in her eyes and he nodded to her.

She stood and walked slowly out of the great hall, depression beginning to grip at her. She could feel tears well up inside her, but she would not let them fall. Her stomach clenched in a pain that began to radiate throughout her entire body. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the door to the great hall, which she had closed.

A house elf popped up beside her, startling her. She gasped, audibly.

"Hello, Minnie is here to serve miss. Master requests of Minnie to you to the kitchens because you is not wanting to eat alone in the big hall," the little house elf piped up.

"Thank you, Minnie, but I'm really not all that hungry anymore," Hermione said, wincing at the thought of this happy creature having to be such a slave and not even know how wrong it was.

"Minnie has orders to take you miss. Minnie cannot disobey Master miss," Minnie said, looking up at Hermione with big green eyes and Hermione felt a pang in her heart.

"All right then Minnie," Hermione sighed. Minnie excitedly grabbed Hermione's hand and with a pop they were standing in the kitchen.

"What would you like, miss. Minnie would be thrilled to get it for you!" Minnie exclaimed.

"Some tea and a sandwich would be fine. In seconds, not only Minnie stood with tea and a plate of sandwiches but so did five other elves.

"Oh dear, thank you, so much," Hermione said, taking the tea and sandwich plate from Minnie. The other elves looked crushed she hadn't taken their plates, but they hurried off, setting about making the dessert. Hermione sat at the small table and ate her sandwich, with Minnie looking up at her with wide, happy eyes.

"It is very good, Minnie. Thank you so much. You can have a seat if you'd like," Hermione offered.

"Oh, no Miss, Minnie can't do that! Minnie has to stand. This is what Minnie does. Minnie never sits!" Minnie exclaimed.

"What is it you like to do Minnie?" Hermione asked.

"I runs around working, always busy!" Minnie said, excitedly.

"And you are really happy with just that?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes Miss, Minnie couldn't ask for more! Master Severus brought me here when he started school and I couldn't be happier here!" Minnie said.

"Severus? You're a Snape House Elf?" Hermione asked.

"I'm Master Severus' personal house elf. I is to be with him everywheres miss. I will be following him to university miss. He has many dreams, my master does. He wishes I stayed with the house, miss, but my place is with him," Minnie said.

"So he's the one who sent you? I thought it was the headmaster," Hermione frowned.

"Oh no ma'am, Headmaster Dumbledore is just gracious enough to let me help with the jobs of the other House Elves. He doesn't ever ask Minnie to do anything," Minnie said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"So, is it bad being a Snape House Elf, really?" Hermione asked.

"Oh no miss, not being Master Severus' elf. He has never hurt Minnie! He has ordered Minnie to never hurt herself either for a mistake," Minnie said. "I's probably not s'posed to talk to yous about this miss," Minnie told Hermione.

"One last question, please Minnie?" Hermione asked, beginning more and more to like Snape by his treatment of Minnie.

"How did he tell you to come to me?" Hermione asked.

"Minnie is having a necklace and Master is having a watch that wes can communicate with," Minnie explained, proudly displaying the little green pendant around her neck. Hermione nodded. May I see it? I promise to give it back."

"Of course, as long as yous not goin' to takes it," Minnie said.

"Of course not," Hermione said. "Do other people around him hear if you talk to him?"

"No miss, only he can hear it," Minnie said, excitedly.

Minnie took off the necklace and handed it gently to Hermione, who observed it, she pushed a little button on the back and spoke into it. "Thank you Severus; I appreciate it." Hermione then gave it back to Minnie, who put it back on and seemed to be listening for a moment.

"Master says, 'I've been in your situation before. I know that no one wants to be alone,'" Minnie said. "He would be being heres if he wasn't with Master Lucius," Minnie said, faintly.

"He said that?" Hermione frowned, thinking about how not like Snape that sounded.

"No, miss, but Minnie knows it. Minnie knows that Master would rather have loyal friends than thems. Minnie has said too much, miss. I is sorry," Minnie said, ducking her head.

"Oh, of course, Minnie. I look forward to talking to you again," Hermione said, giving the elf a smile.

"Mes too miss!" Minnie said, happily.

"Have a nice night, Minnie," Hermione said. Suddenly, she felt closure for her venture with SPEW. She still felt horrible that elves were treated as slaves, but they were at least happy, well… most of them.

Hermione left through the portrait of the fruit bowl and then up a flight of stairs to the main level. She followed a series of corridors, before reaching the portrait of the Victorian brother and sister, who waved at her.

"Dried Beetle," Hermione stated. Their portrait opened and Hermione walked in, closing it behind her.

Hermione walked to the stairs and glanced back over the obviously Slytherin Head Common Room. She looked into the fire for a long moment, standing by the stairs that led up to her room. The flames danced in the hearth almost as free as the flames that had engulfed the Hogwarts Express that same morning that seemed like weeks before.

She sighed and walked up the stairs to her room. She closed the door behind herself, and enlarged her trunk, getting into it.

Hermione pulled out her blood red silk pajamas and changed into them. The top was a spaghetti strap shirt and had an HG the left side in cursive. The red silk pajama bottoms were soft and comfortable. She slid into the green-covered bed with silver lining, and lay her head down. She really looked the part of Gryffindor Slytherin, wearing Gryffendor-red pajamas in a Slytherin-green bed. She fell asleep, with a nightmare involving what might happen on her return to the future, which contained a very angry group of wizards, including Remus, Sirius, and Snape.

That wouldn't be the kind of dream I'd had if I'd just met the young, handsome Slytherin Head Boy who was Snape. Jkjk. Review kids you know you want to and now to my reviewers:

Shelby: thanks a lot. I love positive reviews.

Artemis Claw: Gracias, I appreciate the review

Severus Snape's Love: Really, you're his love? Damn, I thought I was. CAT FIGHT! hehe jkjk Thanks for reviewing my story.

Tina: Why all the numbers after your name? How can you remember them all and type them all in every time you log in? Goodness... Thank you for your review!

Transylvanian: Do I please you good new reviewer-person?

Lilypad: Sorry it took me so long, but here you go!

Reader: Thanks, I'll try not to

Meganegreer: Thank you for your review. I love the word great it makes me feel great when put together with story which makes Great Story!

Rebelangel:Really, you haven't. I didn't know it was unique, but that's awesome. Ya, I usually write Hermione with some tough skin, but remember she's just trying to play up an image, that's mainly why she's being so grrr.

ephona: thanks... I thought it was funny too how Sirius and Severus were going at it. It's great no? I read them fighting over Hermione in another story and had to add the big theme of the future being Sirius/Severus arguments over Hermione.

xmaverickf14x: Thanks. Your review's very encouraging! I'm glad you like how I play the future. You get it right, how they get it in like sections. Every few days, they get new memories... I hope everyone gets that. Thanks for your review

hatersr gonna rock dis world: Nice name. Thanks for reviewing!

Intelligent Witch: Hey me too! I'm also wondering how she gets back, but shh, don't tell. I've got a few ideas in my mind. I'm beginning to like one more and more as I keep writing though. So I think I know how it's going to go.


	11. Confessions of a Teenaged Best Friend

I don't know if I put a disclaimer so, ya, it's not mine or anything.

Hermione woke the next morning with a cramp in her neck. She groaned in pain and tried to shake it out. She could feel a headache coming on as well. She muttered obscenities to herself, cursing her bad luck. She didn't want to bother the nurse with it, and she less than trusted the potions master in this time, from the horrible recollections Snape had reiterated to her of him. She thought fleetingly about going to the Snape of this time, but that died quickly as she realized that he was quite probably a death eater still in this time, on top of the fact that that would make the famous Marauders even more suspicious.

"Damn it all to hell; I just want mean sarcastic bastard Snape back, the one who spies for the bloody order, the one who saves us from werewolves and dark wizards. I need a potion from my bloody potions professor," she grumbled, standing up, and looking around her room carefully. She inadvertently pushed her new puppy aside, as she pushed the covers off of her. He yelped in protest and burrowed out from under the covers.

"Hi, Doyle," she said, picking him up, gently as she started for her trunk. She stubbed her toe on the bed post and cursed, angrily.

"When will this bloody nightmare end?" she exclaimed.

"Not for a while to come dear," a voice said from her fireplace. "May I come through?" Dumbledore's voice asked. She looked over to see his head floating in the fire.

"Of course," Hermione nodded, embarrassed at the less-than-noble language he had probably heard from her.

"It's good to see you awake and healthy dear. That's a lovely new familiar," he smiled as she stumbled, clumsily the rest of the way to her trunk. She put Doyle down and opened it. Doyle ran to the headmaster and stood on his hind legs, looking up at the headmaster, his tongue lulling to the side.

"If this potion kills me, then in the future, make sure that I study medicinal potions more vigorously during school," Hermione told him, pulling a potion from her trunk. It was a potion Snape had only given her a ninety-two percent on, but it was the only headache potion she had.

"Maybe you shouldn't take it… if you think it's dangerous," Dumbledore said, looking up from Doyle to her.

"Perhaps," Hermione said, a second later downing the potion. The tension in her neck eased, and her up-coming migrane drifted away. "Bloody ninety-two, professor, really?" she muttered, glaring at the bottle which had a tab on it saying, "Maybe you should consider finding come way to transfer out of my class Miss Granger. You can't even handle a simple headache potion."

"Pardon me?" he asked. "You were mumbling."

"Nothing headmaster, did you have a reason for speaking with me?" Hermione asked, as she took out the books she'd need for the day. She called Doyle to her, and sat against the trunk, holding the happy dog in her lap.

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded, his face darkening. "I hope you understand my wariness with inviting you to an auror meeting. You have been behaving oddly, particularly when around a certain Slytherin, who we have cause to believe is a death eater," Dumbledore told her.

"Yes sir, I understand. I cannot help how I act towards Severus. Whenever I'm around him, I feel a weird protectiveness towards him. You just have to understand. Severus isn't as evil as James and Sirius make him out to be. Usually, he is the victim to their pranks. That is probably what drove him right into the clutches of Lucius Malfoy," Hermione said.

"Yes, well, Hermione, I can tell you have great trust in him and I'm glad you have someone here you trust, but whatever he is in your time, he isn't now. He can't be trusted, as much as I wish he could be," Dumbledore said.

"I know, sir, I'll wait until the inevitable comes to pass," Hermione said.

"Good, a cryptic message, exactly what you should answer any questions you are given. Now, is there anything you wish to talk to me about?" Dumbledore asked.

"Actually, yes, there is, who's the Quidditch Captain in this time for Slytherin?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Lucius Malfoy, but Severus Snape is Assistant Captain," Dumbledore said, without smiling. "You have to keep your distance from him, Miss Granger. Do you understand?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course, sir," Hermione nodded, setting Doyle aside. He ran and jumped up onto her bed, snuggling under the covers.

"Very well… you'd better get ready for classes," Dumbledore told her.

Hermione nodded, and he disappeared into the flames, back to his office.

"This is going to be a fun year," she thought.   
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, someone… get me back!" she prayed quietly as if they could hear her in the future.

Snape sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had dreamed about her in his past, and that dream came to him the night before in his own dream and it was haunting him already. He was becoming too involved with the girl. Hopefully she would keep her distance, because if the night before was any indication, he was already in lust with her. Is she got any closer, he would begin to love her and the older Snape knew that. He growled, slamming his fist on the table. Everyone looked at him, surprised.

"Albus, it's already happening. We have to find a way to stop her!" he exclaimed, bringing forth the one point there was an unspoken rule that they would not talk about: Hermione.

"I believe I had a talk with her the next morning. I don't trust her, I'm afraid. She's feeling very alone," Albus replied, simply.

"And as a bloody foolish hormone-driven teenager, I'm going to idiotically make her feel less alone, something that is very wrong on many levels," Snape said.

"Many, many levels," Sirius muttered.

"You know what Black, why didn't you befriend her? Now I know I'm going to!" Snape snapped.

"Because I thought she was already working with you," Sirius replied, harshly.

"Bloody brilliant you are… were," Snape corrected himself, confused at how to speak of it, because it was as if it was happening now, but it was actually happening to them in the past.

"Okay, what is going on?" Harry asked, frowning. The clan of Weasleys as well as everyone else present listened very closely.

"Severus is falling in love with Hermione, Sirius is shunning her, your father pulled his wand on her, and I mistrust her," Albus said, sighing.

"I'M NOT FALLING IN LOVE WITH MISS GRANGER!" Snape shouted.

"You are and you know it," Albus snapped. Everyone looked at him, shocked. Albus have close to none outbursts and seeing him get so angry with Snape was a rare occurrence, more like it never happened. It wasn't odd to see Snape this furious with the old headmaster however.

"We all are thinking she's a death eater," Molly added, putting the subject back on course as gently and smoothly as she could.

"She's slowly getting noticed more and more. The burning Hogwarts train will be in the paper that morning, and I'm sure she'll be the main topic," Albus muttered. "It didn't change anything like the outcome of the war, but it very well could. She, instead of myself, is Voldemort's number one target and he could very well kill her. I am torn between wanting Severus to get close to her, if only to protect her, and keeping them as far apart as possible to protect him," Albus said.

"Sorry to say, I was a stubborn teenager, and you won't be influencing my decision," Snape muttered.

"Hermione really is in danger then?" Ron asked, faintly.

"Hermione is very much in danger, Ron. She knocked Voldemort unconscious with one spell that she can't even remember. In the past century, the strength of wizards keeps growing by each generation. Your generation's magic is stronger than our own. Her power in that time, while it is average in our own time, is very much stronger than it was. Hermione is a walking weapon. I would like to point out that if she somehow falls in love with Severus and he doesn't change sides fast enough, Voldemort's odds sky-rocket and she's a walking weapon against the order," Remus said.

"Fat chance she falls for that wanker," Ron muttered.

"Hermione wouldn't switch sides for anything!" Harry exclaimed.

"Love is a powerful thing, Harry," Albus pointed out.

"It's highly improbable she'll fall for me of all people, Albus," Snape crossed his arms, scowling.

"Highly improbable? I'd say bloody impossible," Ron said.

"We have to recreate what happened," Ginny said. "We have to send someone back who can make Hermione see sense."

"But all the people who could do that are too old. It has to be someone who isn't born yet," Mr. Weasley said.

"I'll go!" Ron said.

"No, you look too much like your father, who is only about thirty then, besides, you wouldn't be able to talk Hermione out of anything," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Then I can go," Harry offered.

"Potter, have you ever seen your father? You're a bloody clone," Snape said, sardonically. "He's your age then."

"What about us?" Fred and George offered at the same time.

"No," Remus said, flatly. "We need someone who doesn't resemble their parents and is very close to Hermione. What about Neville Longbottom or one of her dorm mates?" Remus asked.

"Neville Longbottom would kill her in potions class, with that oaf of a potions professor teaching it," Snape muttered.

"Besides, he'd take one look at you and go running for a hiding place," McGonagall said, softly. "She is not close with her dorm mates, either. She thinks they're airheads who know nothing but glamour spells and divination, which is partially true."

"I'll go," Ginny said softly. Everyone's eyes turned to her, and everyone seemed to be looking for a way to say something against it.

"You're too young!" Mrs. Weasley said, quickly, when no one was objecting, but getting looks of approval in their eyes.

"I'm a year younger than them, mum. I'm Herimone's best friend save Harry and Ron. She'll listen to me," Ginny said. "She's told me more about her crushes and feelings than anyone else," Ginny said, looking at Snape, blushing and looking down.

"Ginny, did Hermoine have preexisting feelings for Professor Snape? I mean before the incident with the hourglass," Dumbledore asked. "Actually, you'll need to tell us everything about Hermione Granger's past love life, if only so we know how you are going to try and avert what is about to happen."

"Well… I was sworn to secrecy," Ginny mumbled.

"Ginny, Hermione's life is in danger," Harry said, calmly.

"OK, but I'm only talking to the headmaster and Professor Snape about it. No one else needs to hear it," Ginny said.

"Come then. We'll talk in my private quarters," Albus told her.

Gnny stood, understanding fully, that only the very weak argument from her mother meant she was indeed about to experience very far time travel.

They traveled in silence to Albus' private rooms, Snape at her side scowling and staring straight ahead, while Albus lead the way.

Albus held open the door, and closed it behind the two. They were in a sitting room of sorts and Ginny was motioned to a soft cushioned chair, which she sat on, Snape sitting in a stiff-backed chair, on her left facing the fire while Albus settled for a comfortable chair across from her.

"All right, Miss Weasley, where shall we begin?" Albus asked, softly.

"Her first crush was on my brother. They went out briefly, but Hermione found that after dating my brother, Seamus, and Draco Malfoy even that she would need someone with a much higher level of maturity. She had a crush on Harry for the first half of sixth year, after dating Ron, Seamus, and Draco over the summer before, but… the two never really clicked and Hermione listed that off as a big mistake, a waste of her time, because Harry was more like a brother to her," Ginny explained.

"Will you be making a point soon?" Snape muttered, staring into the fire.

"Actually, I was just about to make it," Ginny replied, sharply, annoyed with him.

"Hermione, as you may have noticed, is extremely intelligent and has been looking practically since the third year to find someone smart enough to keep up with her, and brave enough to stand up to her intelligence. When she took up the job as your assistant, professor, she found that challenge. Hermione never really said outright that she had a crush on you, but she defended you constantly from Harry and Ron when they called you horrible names or just outright disrespected you. I know she felt something for you, but it's hard to tell if that respect and admiration was… something more," Ginny finished. "All I know is that she had something very deep on her mind practically all the time in sixth year and I could just tell it was someone… someone that she liked a lot. My intuition tells me that it had to be you, no matter what my practical mind says."

"That's impossible. Miss Granger can't have feelings for me," Snape said, disbelievingly.

"I believe I began to think that when she said you called her by her first name and she thought she would faint at the sound of your silky voice addressing her as an equal," Ginny smirked, challengingly. Snape looked shocked.

"That doesn't sound like Miss Granger," Albus chuckled.

"That's because, _Miss Granger_, and Hermione are two different hard-working people. You'd never guess it, but Hermione is a die-hard romantic, no matter how much the Miss Granger part of her is a smart, academic person," Ginny said.

"This is a startling discovery. In any other circumstances, I would like to see such a relationship unfold. Hermione Granger truly is an extra-ordinary person. This is something I never would have thought of her," Albus said.

"There are many things about Hermione that only I know and that is why I think I am the best person to go back and talk to her. I don't know if even she realizes that she has a not-just-any crush on Professor Snape," Ginny said.

"And that is why we will send you, Miss Weasley, that is precisely why," Albus nodded.

Would anyone like some shippage with Ginny with one of the people in the past? If so, go ahead and vote for me!

Miss Elvira Dark: All right, I haven't thought of anything yet, but I will stump you. I will make you double-guess your analysis and I will win! I swear it!

Megangreer: Thanks, review again now.

Haters r gonna rock dis world: Cool, very clever Sorry it's been like three weeks since my last update, but I did get it up.

SeveursSnape'sLove: Sorry three weeks, almost for… life's been hectic as are my other stories are. I'll get some more up sooner this time.

DarkKestralArwenSilkeQueen: It's not SB/HG, but it's still a good story. Please give it a chance!

Fayna: You give me too much credit. I read a story about a faulty hourglass to get this idea, from an sb/hg story, but thanks for the compliments. They really make me happier and want to update faster.

Elra of mirkwood: Okay, okay, you've convinced me. Here's more

Tina: Sorry it's been so long with this chapter, but my other stories entertain you don't they?

Ephonia: yes ma'am, coming in the next few chapters, ma'am.

Shelby: Sure, I'll use your idea. Anything my reviewers want. You guys make the story perfect. The reviewer is always right.

StarsLover: Thank you. I like putting myself in her place and trying to display her emotions. I really have had better chapters, possibly in other chapters, to show for that, but I do appreciate your comment. So I gave you a chapter. Think you could review again?

ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! CLICK THE REVIEW BUTTON, REVIEW, THEN GO READ MY OTHER STORIES. All of them are sshg, so go read them! AND THEN REVIEW THOSE!


	12. Courage

Disclaimer: Not mine… It's JK's

Ginny breathed deeply, looking at the hourglass in her hand. It was small, hardly the same size as the one Hermione had had. It was supposed to be sending them back. A lot of Snape and Albus' power sources were infused into the coin-sized glass.

"Now, Ginny, this spell will send you back for as long as Hermione is there. We are assuming that this spell that will bind you together, will take you back to be with the person you are being bound to, or to bring her here. It will most likely, however, by the first. You have to concentrate on Hermione as hard as you can, understood?" Albus asked.

"Albus, I still say this is dark magic," Sirius protested.

"Would you like Hermione to fall in love with Professor Snape?" Ginny snapped at him. That shut him up fast. Arthur Weasley hugged his daughter, whispering for her to be careful. Molly Weasley smothered her daughter in a sobbing hug, then Ron and Harry had there turn. Luna, the newest member of the order, Harry's girlfriend, waved distantly at her. Snape nodded tightly to her as he took his spot in the triangle around her, Arthur taking his, Dumbledore stepped forward and slipped a note into the pocket of the school robes she was wearing, shrinking the bag at her side to pocket-sized and handing it to her.

"Thank you sir," Ginny said.

"Courage comes in all types my dear:" he said, "courage to fight your enemies, courage to fight your mind, and courage to fight your heart. The greatest courage can be seen within the depths of our soul when those we love are in danger, but the most significant is the courage to fight those friends so they can see sense. All these types of courage, you must employ for this task, Miss Weasley. Make me proud. That letter is to me," he nodded to the letter in her robe pocket.

"Thank you headmaster," she nodded her head, graciously.

"Tell Hermione to control her powers and to think, rationally about who and what she is fighting. Point out every flaw you see in me in that time," Snape said. "Do not bring up me as I am now. That will just hurt your cause," Snape informed her.

"Thank you sir," Ginny nodded.

Dumbledore took his place in the triangle and put his two palms up. Snape and Arthur's palms came in contact with his and each others and they began to murmur. The wind began to swirl and the hourglass in Ginny's hand burst into millions of little pieces, cutting her right hand with millions of microscopic pin-pricks. Ginny disappeared with her squeak of pain.

They all three lowered their hands and opened their eyes. "Albus… tell me that she has another hourglass on her," Snape said, through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid not. We're just going to have to find another way to get them back," Albus said, sounding defeated.

Ginny felt herself falling through darkness, and then she landed in a bright room, luckily onto a bed, which she bounced off of.

"Lucius Malfoy, but Severus Snape is assistan-" she heard, but it stopped as her presense was known.

"Bloody fucking hell!" Ginny mumbled, sitting up to see a wand directly in her face.

"Ginny!" a happy voice called and she was tackled backwards, a mop of bushy hair in her face.

"Hey 'Mione," Ginny said, hugging her friend back with her left arm, shaking her bleeding wand-hand.

"Are you here to take me back?" Hermione asked.

"That was origionally the plan, but the power-pumped hourglass I brought for Dumbledore to enlarge exploded when they performed the spell to bring me back to you. They planned on me being here for a few weeks before the headmaster could think of a way to get us back with the special hourglass, which I'm sure the way was put into this note, but we have no hourglass?" Ginny muttered.

"A friend of yours, Miss Granger?" Albus asked.

Ginny suddenly noticed the headmaster who smiled at her. "Ginny, at your service sir," Ginny said, humbly.

"A note you have from me you said?" he asked.

Ginny reached around with her left hand to her right pocket and took out the note, handing it out towards him, noticing a little dot at the Headmaster's feet.

He took her hand and waved his hand at it. It healed quickly. "I believe that the pieces of the hourglass have been absorbed magically into your blood stream," he told her. "There's a reason hourglasses are unbreakable. We don't know what effect it would have if one were to be broken."

"Well, obvious the effect that I'm stuck here, unless you can find another person as strong as Professor- the professor to add your power with to make an hourglass strong enough. The second power donor was extremely adept at dark magic as you are adept at light magic," Ginny muttered.

"S-he did that for me?" Hermione asked. "It's hard to get a wizard to give up power but he…"

"He did it without question, yes, Hermione, because he's worried about your safety and about what his younger self might do," Ginny said, stiffly.

"You were sent here to be with me for the two weeks when the headmaster found a way to get us back to make sure I didn't. Ginny that's ridiculous. I'm smarter than that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Obviously not because someone's starting to form feelings for someone else!" Ginny replied, sharply.

"Ginny, we can find some way to contact them and if anything bad happens they can send word that we're doing it wrong. We can give H-im his parents back!" Hermione said. "If you can travel here, then if we mess it up, they'll send something back to point that out to us and we can stop!"

"I'm afraid it does not work like that Miss Granger. You could do a series of very drastic things and they wouldn't know until hours later what it was you did wrong. I detailed the way these memories are coming to me to myself," Albus said, indicating to the letter.

"But sir," Hermione objected.

"Hermione, stop and think about this!" Ginny exclaimed. "It took hours until we found out that the Hogwarts Express was burning! If you just save them, there'll be a wide-spread memory-altercation, but the people whose memories are altered will still remember it being the other way around. You are putting the people you love in more and more danger every second you breathe in this time! Snuffles almost decked the professor he was so mad about this!" Ginny shouted.

Albus nodded gravely, finishing to read the letter from himself. He sighed. "My future counterpart foresaw something like this occurring. He would like you two to stay here. Miss Howard, you now have a bunk-mate, transfer from your old school," Albus told her. Hermione nodded, dumbly, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I will see you at another time today ladies. Miss Ginny, what would you like your alias to be?" Albus asked.

"Ginette Wesley," Ginny replied, easily. "I had a few hours to think of it.

"Very good," Albus inclined his head. "Please, try to keep a low profile," he said, speaking more to Hermione than to Ginny.

"Ginny, I can't help it. I see him and everything I knew about how he was when he was our age… it just slips away and I feel safer knowing that he's there, in some form, still watching over us, ready to protect us, to protect the side of good, and Sirius and James are horrible! They're absolutely dreadful. They accuse me of wronging the headmaster. Ginny I'm loyal, aren't I?

"That's the problem Mya. You don't realize this yet, but you do feel deeply for Professor Snape, in our own time. I can see it… Don't you dare contradict me! You care and I can see it, but you have to know the difference between the two. The Severus of this time has to play his own part. He has to stay loyal to the Death Eaters until the exact second he betrays them. Do you understand?" Ginny said.

"Why would it be any different because I'm here?" Hermione asked. "I don't care for him and he doesn't care for me."

"You do care for him, and he said if you keep going around protecting him and such, you're going to convince him to switch sides too early. You have to stop yourself, Hermione," Ginny told her.

"Control your powers, think rationally, and know the difference between them, Mya. Feel it and you can control yourself," Ginny told her. "I'll be with you. I promise I will."

"Ginny, you'll have to be sorted, which is a problem," Hermione whispered.

"Why? We're in the same house," Ginny frowned.

"No we're not. My house has changed and the reason, as far as I can deduce is because I am as pure-blood as Draco Malfoy in this time," Hermione said.

"You're a Slytherin? That is way too weird," Ginny said. "It's fine. We can get synchronized schedules, I'm sure, and only meal-times we'll be separated."

Hermione nodded. She went about her business of getting ready, while Ginny's eyes settled on Doyle, who had placed himself in front of her, wagging his tail, happily.

"Who is this?" Ginny smiled, giggling happily at the little fluff-ball, as she picked him up.

Hermione smiled. Ginny may be demanding sometimes, but she still was a sweet, gentle person at heart.

Okay, it's another non-review-answering chapter, but I'm really glad for them. They inspired me to no end. The vote for Ginny ship has come in and it was an overwhelming, unanimous vote and she will indeed find herself in the same predicament as Hermione. Hehehe.


	13. Sev or Siri? Definately Sev

Again, sorry it took so long. Life is hectic, so… ya.

Hermione placed the glamour charms on herself that she had initially in Black Manor as the had worn off the night before. Her black hair and green eyes intact, she turned to Ginny, who took a scared step back, but with two swishes of her wand, Ginny's skin was a more bronze color, her freckles were gone, her hair was a rich blonde and her eyes were a vibrant gold.

"You really are good with charms work," Ginny commented. Hermione only nodded, mutely.

Hermione felt her stomach twist into knots with each step she took as she walked with Ginny to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ginny kept close to her side, glaring at any Slytherins who crossed their path, even and especially when they passed Severus, who was about to say hello to Hermione, but stopped when Hermione shook her head, sadly. His expression went from one of welcome to a mask of cold and it hurt her. Ginny sat with her at the end of the Slytherin table. Hermione was facing the wall, while Ginny faced the rest of the hall. Her eyes fell on Sirius, then moved to James, Peter and finally Remus, who oddly was staring at the back of Hermione's head.

"Why is Remus looking at you as if you're a puzzle?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. I didn't think he would be looking at me at all," Hermione said.

Remus locked eyes with Ginny and his intense blue gaze made her look away, blushing deeply.

"He sent his house elf to look after me; he takes good care of her," Hermione said, out of the blue. She was coming to find, after thinking on it for a long time, that Ginny's explanation for her fierce need to be Severus' friend was making a lot of sense about now.

"Hermione, I know it's hard, but forget about him," Ginny insisted. "You can't get close to him or you will change the future."

"Oh my god Ginny, I might have. I said something to Sirius when I first arrived I told him he was James' truest friend and no one could take his place. I was using a very hinting tone when I said it!" Hermione said in alarm.

"Hermione, calm down, calm down. Nothing drastic as of yet has been changed, but Sirius and Severus do seem to hate each other just that much more, but it's only one more thing to the list of thousands," Ginny soothed. "Deep breaths." Ginny stopped talking when she saw Lucius Malfoy walk in, arrogantly, walking past Hermione. He elbowed her hard in the back. Hermione let out a squeak of pain. Ginny watched in amazement as Severus who had been trailing a few steps grabbed Lucius' arm roughly and whispered a heated, angry thing in Lucius' ear. Lucius nodded, tightly. Whatever Severus had told Lucius had made him turn and say, in a gentlemanly tone, "Pardon me, Miss Howard. Might I know who your enchanting friend is."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You can keep walking Malfoy. That is what you can do," Hermione said, coldly. "Severus," she acknowledged stiffly, looking away from him, to Ginny, biting her lower lip, tears in her eyes. She sucked in her breath and looked down drawing shaky breath after shaky breath.

"Hermione, you have to, sweety," Ginny said, in a gentle tone.

"I can't!" Hermione whispered. Hermione ducked her head as she fought with her emotions.

"Students, welcome our late arrival, "Ginette Wesley, please come up as you haven't been sorted!" Albus said loudly.

Just as Ginny stood, so did Severus Snape. He walked past Ginny to Hermione. As he passed, Ginny hissed, "Leave her the hell alone," in a biting tone, but he paid her no mind and she reluctantly kept walking to the front of the hall to be sorted. He walked around the end of the Slytherin table and sat beside Hermione. She jumped when she realized he was sitting beside her.

"Why are you ignoring me? Is it because of her?" Severus asked, darkly looking at Ginny.

"No," Hermione replied.

"Do you suddenly dislike me?" Severus asked, carefully, ignoring Dumbledore as he began a speech about the wonders of the Irish Academy for Wizardry, where Hermione and Ginny were allegedly from.

Hermione felt his hand discreetly come into contact with her forearm and she flinched. "Stop," she moved away from him, slightly.

"So, it is because of her?" he asked.

"No, it is because of me and it is because of you," she insisted.

"What does that even mean?" Snape asked, angrilly.

"Nothing but the fact that we are nothing alike and I can't speak to you ever again," Hermione said.

"Then why do you look as if someone just Avada-ed your familiar and given you a dose of tear-bidden potion?" he growled, gruffly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said, trying her hardest to hold back her tears.

"I'll see you in classes Howard," he snapped at her. She winced at his harsh tone, but remained silent.

"Fine," he growled, stalking back to his spot between Lucius and Rudolphus Lestrange, who sat beside Bellatrix Black, who was glaring darkly at Hermione.

Hermione tried to change her frame of mind. He was sitting with many people who would just as soon kill her as look at her if they could get away with it. _He is one of them_; she told herself.

_He's not, he's noble, honorable, cunning, and brave! He's everything they are not! He's your age. You can make him feel the way you do!_ The other part of her mind argued.

_What is it exactly that you feel, you foolish girl! _Her mind asked her.

_I don't know, but it's something._ Hermione thought.

_It is nothing. You are eighteen, not in your own time and he is a death eater and thirty-nine in your time. He'll never want you so give it up you fool. You can't do that here. He can not be altered in any way here. He has a role to play and you do not. You can not ruin that!_ Hermione sighed, brushing away the tear that fell from her eye. She let no more fall, resolving to keep her distance from Severus, at least in this time. She'd try her luck when she didn't have a chance to screw up the future.

"You need to stop acting like a child and look ahead of yourself and around yourself, you insolent, impotent woman. Do not look to the past and cry like a leaking faucet. Act your age! You are a fully-qualified witch and you will act out your part in this war as any fully-qualified witch would." The words echoed in her head. They were the last words Snape had said to her and she was going to hang onto that little bit of advice, let it get her through this time so she could get back to her own time.

"GRYFFINDOR!" she heard, and clapped for Ginny as the girl watched her warily, seating herself at the Gryffindor table, right beside Remus, who smiled at her offering her a roll.

Hermione smiled, grimly at her friend, and nodded. Ginny looked relieved and she took the proffered roll, eating it slowly, watching the back of Hermione's head, taking in her drooping shoulders and her shaking hands as she slowly went about her meal.

Hermione watched Snape for nearly three weeks, and the pain she felt at having shunned him transformed into a dull constant ache. She didn't know exactly what it was that hurt her so much. They barely knew each other. She knew he watched her too, but she rarely caught him doing so. She sat through all her classes with tears in her eyes, attending them with the Gryffindors, as Dumbledore had suggested to "keep her in line." She had felt like a scolded child through her entire time there.

The Slytherin Head Common room was practically unbearable. When Snape came to the room, he usually brought Lucius Malfoy with him. Lucius, not caring who and what side she worked for, would try and feel her up. She'd leave, usually followed by the scoffing Slytherin groupies that hung around Severus and Lucius.

On this particular night she was hiding in the library, which, as always was her escape from everything else. It was past curfew, but she had just finished patrols and the Head Girl had no curfews. She was walking between the shelves looking for a book, when a sound startled her. She dropped the book, grabbed her wand, and ducked, drawing her wand.

Hermione was surrounded on both sides by Lucius and Crabbe and Goyle. She shivered, surveying her surroundings carefully for any escape. Ginny was studying in the Great Hall with the marauders, so she was alone, currently surrounded by death eaters. "What do you want Lucius?" she asked, standing with her chin up, summing up all her Gryffindor courage, though she wasn't currently a Gryffindor, it didn't mean the house hadn't given her a backbone.

"Well, I want what I've always wanted. I want you, I want my mark, and I want darkness," Lucius said.

"How long did it take you to figure out your three wants, Malfoy? From what I've seen, your intellect isn't quite up to Severus' standards," she growled, stepping back. She knew what she was going to do would be risky in every sense of the word.

"Please, Severus is a pawn in the palm of my hand. He'd do anything for me," Lucius scoffed.

"Maybe that's what he wants you to think. He always has been the brains in the relationship hasn't he, Lucy?" Hermione smirked. Just as Lucius flung a spell at her, she dropped to the floor and shot a spell towards him, a spell he dodged.

"Expelliarmus!" he called. Her wand flew from her hand. She gasped, trying to grab at it. Lucius laughed at her. She tried to sum up her wandless energy, but she had just been tutored in it by Professor Spring a few hours ago and her power was drained. She cried out when Crabbe and Goyle grabbed her from behind.

"And here I thought you were powerful," Lucius smirked.

"Don't fuck with me Malfoy," Hermione warned, glaring dangerously.

"Oh I'll do more than that," Lucius said. Hermione began focusing her energy as well as she could, but Lucius' fist came to her face hard, making her lose her train of thought. She could feel her raw power bubbling within her, but not enough yet. He continued to pound her, a few more to the face, then several in the stomach.

Goyle kicked the back of her knees and she fell before Lucius on her knees, her right one colliding particularly hard, hurting her badly. He grabbed her hair, tilting her head up to face her. She cried out, softly, but knew no one would here her, not this late at night.

"So, Alaira, how are you feeling?" Lucius asked. "Finally accepting your place, on your knees, aren't we? You can stay there, or you can join us. I can do much more. This is only a fraction of the pain you're about to feel," Lucius growled. Hermione stared defiantly at him, earning a foot to her chin. She was thrown back, but she crawled to her feet, her right leg still throbbing in protest, only to be backhanded to the floor. She coughed violently, pushing herself to her hands and knees. Goyle kicked her side and she fell against Lucius' legs.

Her green eyes flashed red, and finally her original brown. Goyle and Crabbe fell to their knees, screaming in agony, their skin bubbling. Hermione continued coughing, while Lucius took a quick step away from her.

Footsteps were heard and Snape soon appeared. "Lucius, what are you doing?" Snape growled, trying not to look at Hermione. "This is Springs area of patrol, idiot!" Snape snapped. "Did you hex Crabbe and Goyle?"

"They just dropped," Lucius said.

Hermione coughed and then started laughing hoarsely. "You really don't know what real magic is Lucius, raw power… simply put: witch feels pain, witch has no wand, witch's magic attacks whoever is inflicting the damage. I actually am more powerful than you thought aren't I?" Hermione's laughs subsided in a fit of coughs. "I can't reverse it either, not that I would," Hermione said. Crabbe and Goyle were unconscious, but their skin was still bubbling.

"No one finds out about this. Get them out of here," she barked the order at Lucius, who hurriedly agreed, rushing to Crabbe and Goyle, and levitating them, leaving at a run.

Hermione pushed herself up to her hands and knees again, getting to her feet, before stumbling and falling into a shelf that wobbled dangerously. As soon as Lucius was out the door, Snape ran to the shelf, steadying it, as it wobbled dangerously over Hermione. He set his wand on the ground, getting on his knees beside her. He gently brushed her hair from her eyes, which were closed tightly, silent tears running down her cheeks, her entire body slack.

He bent up her torso, allowing her to lean against his chest, rocking her softly as she sobbed in pain, which only caused her stomach to hurt more.

"Severus Snape, what is going on?" the usually-cheerful voice of the headmaster said, with an angry edge.

"She was attacked," Snape said, picking her up easily. She gripped his shirt, sobbing into his arms.

"By who pray-tell," Dumbledore snapped.

"I can't tell you," Snape said.

"Would you like me to expel you instead?" Dumbledore said.

"Well, it's better than what he'd do to me?" Snape growled back, knowing Dumbledore would catch his meaning.

"Get your bloody hands off of her," an angry voice ordered, and suddenly James, Sirius, and Remus appeared out from underneath a cloak.

"No," Snape stated, simply.

For the first time ever, Remus drew his wand on Snape, pointing it right at his face. "Let her go," he said, darkly.

"I will not!" Snape said. Hermione choked on her tears, knowing what Dumbledore was trying to make her do as he pushed slightly against the barrier she had secured over her mind.

"Put me down, Severus; I have to go with them," she said, tears streaming faster down her face. He looked at her with betrayal in his eyes.

"I don't have a choice. We aren't the same, Severus. You are a death eater and I am a Phoenixer," she whispered. Unable to stop herself she brushed her lips across his neck, without it being noticed by the others.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He placed her on her feet, with a look of indifference, holding her up as she took the few steps to Remus, collapsing on her injured right leg. He caught her, dropping his wand, nodding to Sirius, who came and picked her up. Severus couldn't contain his growl of anger that he was the one to carry her out of all of them.

Remus quickly grabbed his wand from where it was dropped and kept it on Severus as he walked slowly to retrieve his own and then walked out of the library.

"Put me down Sirius Black," she ordered, loudly.

"No, you're injured," he snapped, beginning to carry her, following Dumbledore towards the hospital wing.

"I'm bloody fine!" she snapped, in protest.

"You're not, so just stop your fussing," Sirius said.

"I don't want you touching me, all right? I'm a little pissed off, and I don't want to be carried for someone who obviously thinks I'm the spawn of satin. Let go of me this instant!" she ordered.

"Alaira, you're only hurting yourself further," Dumbledore told her.

Hermione shut up and sighed gloomily, swallowing down the fit of coughs that was coming upon her. Her skin felt like it was on fire. She felt weak, weak and utterly alone and she hated every second of it.

Xjaoj: was that good surprise?

Tina: You know me too well to think I'd do it soon… hehe

Magical wonder: Do you think I should send her back sooner or later?

Ephona: I'm sorry, but that's what Ginny's there to prevent remember. It will only get to be romantic just before or after she goes back to her own time.

Haters r gonna rock dis world: Well you solved that problem didn't you?

Blinded One: Of course. The only other Ginny relationship I've ever written is GT and GSev. I do like the idea of GSir a bit, but you're right

Innogen: No, she's not a pureblood, but she's not a muggleborn, because she's not even born yet. The only difference in blood between muggle-borns and purebloods, in my opinion, is that the purebloods are interbred freaks. Therefore, Hermione's blood is as pure as a Malfoy's.


	14. He is still a Death Eater

I don't get much time to answer reviews anymore, but I'll try to do so every few chapters at least.

Pomphrey had ordered Hermione to stay in the hospital wing overnight. She had some very bad bruises, especially about her face and neck. Ginny was furious with Hermione for being caught alone by Malfoy, even if it wasn't Hermione's fault. She stayed with her, sleeping on the bed beside her. Before going to sleep, they had both rejuvenated their concealment charms, just in case.

Hermione stared at the wall across from her, propped up in her bed, her stomach still tender and painful. The bruises were all gone and Hermione was little worse for the wear, but the pain still lingered as a dull ache. She couldn't sleep so she sat there.

She gasped when there was a pop and Minnie stood at the end of her bed, looking her over carefully. "You should be sleeping," Minnie whispered to her, matter-of-factly.

"I can't," Hermione mumbled, her thoughts turning to Severus, and making her wince with how she had to treat him. She realized that she shouldn't have kissed him and her words were incredibly stupid. If Professor Snape thought he would turn too early to the side of light for her, then her saying, "We aren't the same, Severus. You are a death eater and I am a Phoenixer," was probably a pretty stupid thing to say.

"Master Severus is depressed ma'am, do yous know why?" Minnie asked, nervously.

"I can't know, Minnie," Hermione said, trying to make the little elf understand with the tone of her voice only.

"He was called away, ma'am and Minnie is worried about Master," Minnie said, wringing her hands.

"Called… by the dark lord?" Hermione asked.

"How-how… Minnie must punish herself, now miss," Minnie said, turning to disappear.

"Don't, Minnie; just, don't worry about him. He's going to be okay," Hermione said, her voice unsteady as she was trying to convince herself and the house elf simultaneously. Every second in this time, made her forget the stabilities and the truths of her own time. She was being entwined with this time and kept forgetting simple facts, like Severus will be okay. He'll live to see forty.

"Do yous care about my master, miss?" Minnie asked.

"I can't care about him, Minnie. I can't," Hermione said, sadly, as if fighting to make it true.

Minnie hopes you're right about Master being okay miss. Minnie will see you soon," Minnie said, disappearing with a pop. Hermione closed her eyes, willing the pain to just go away.

"Damn it, why are you in my head," she shouted, waking Ginny, who hurried to her side, but she pushed the girl away, turning on her side and squeezing her eyes shut.

Severus Snape finished listening to his house elf's conversation with Alaira Howard, via the pendant they shared. Minnie appeared at his side, and frowned, grimly at the ground.

"Minnie saws her close to tears, sir. Minnie caused that pain," Minnie murmured.

"You did well. I will make her tell me why this sudden can't has appeared. I have to find out," Snape said, desperately. He was falling for Enemy Number One against Voldemort and oddly… he was going to fight for her. She would be his, no matter what anyone had to say about it.

* * *

Severus was becoming desperate. He had to find a way to stop this himself. He could remember his plans as if they were broad in front of him and from what Ginny had told him, he was sure she wasn't about to fight him very hard. He scowled, angrily, slamming his fist on his desk, leaving a dent. 

He stood quickly and walked out of his room and down the stairs, interrupting everyone's dinner. It was usually near dinnertime that they gained new memories so dinner was becoming a casualty in this situation.

"Albus, we have to try something else," Severus said, sitting stiffly in his usual seat.

"I don't have anything else that I think we can do, Severus," Albus said.

"I want her back here now," Severus snapped. "She's changing everything!" Snape said.

"You're just jealous she chose me over you," Sirius snapped.

"I'm more worried about the fact that she kissed me," Severus growled, pride mixed in with his concern.

"She did not!" Sirius shouted.

"Or that she was worrying about me because she knew I was called," Snape added.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think the two of you were fifteen year old boys fighting over a pretty girl," McGonagall chided.

"It's because they are really," Remus said, quietly.

"Oh, shove it Remus. You want Ginny," Sirius snapped.

"Albus, I agree with Severus. I just want it over," Remus said, not answering Sirius' accusation.

"I can't leave Voldemort for four weeks and two days, from where she is in time," Snape said. "She's getting dangerously close to changing me," Snape said.

Suddenly a bright light shot through his head and a mix of images. He winced in pain. "NO!" he shouted.

"Set up the ritual now!" he barked at the group, stalking from the room towards his own.

* * *

Hermione walked slowly down the corridor, her bare feet padding on the ground. She wore a white tank top and black pajama pants, courtesy of Ginny.s 

It was three days after her 'meeting' with Lucius and the first time she had been able to get away from Ginny and that was only because Ginny was fast asleep in her bed, while Hermione was restless. She was heading down towards the kitchens in search of some company, Minnie's company actually. The house elf was very friendly and even if she was Severus' house elf and they weren't on the best terms, Minnie was still a creature that she could talk to.

Hermione entered the kitchen, to immediately see the back of a dark head. She turned, quickly to leave, when Minnie's shrill voice greeted, "Alaira!"

She turned back and her eyes immediately locked with Severus' dark ones. She turned quickly and fled.. She ran as fast as she could, but his booted feet echoed behind her, catching up quickly.

She let out a soft cry of protest, when his arm clamped down on her arm and pulled her to a stop, turning her quickly and holding her against the wall by the shoulders.

"Why can't you just talk to me?" he shouted at her.

"I just can't!" she cried. "Please, just let me go!" she whispered.

"You acted like you cared and I believed that," Snape spat angrily.

"I don't, I don't feel anything, I **don't**!" she shouted.

"Not anything," Snape repeated. Hermione's hands shook, terribly. She tried to move back further against the wall, but it was right there. She could feel the cool stone against her. He stared down at her, gently, his dark eyes locked onto hers. She could feel his breath upon her brow. His grip on her arms loosened and one moved up to cup her cheek tenderly. She involuntarily leaned into the warm touch, all too aware how cold she was and how warm he was. He dipped his head slowly, eyes not leaving hers as he did.

She felt his lips on hers and her eyes fluttered closed, all her resistance gone as she kissed him back. His hand moved from her cheek to gently hold the base of her head, while his other arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her to him, even as he pushed her against the wall with his own body. Her now-mobile hands found their own way to him, one clutching the fabric of his robes at his shoulder, the other tangling in his hair, which was much softer than it looked.

His tongue drew across her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, moaning as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his warm body flush against hers, pinning her to the wall, pressing against her as he kissed her passionately. She felt her knees weaken and was glad he was holding her or she was sure she would have fallen.

She moved her tongue tentatively against his as it caressed her mouth, gently. She felt a jolt as she felt his hand on her bum, moving lightly over it. Suddenly her senses came back and she pushed him away, shouting, "I can't!"

His eyes showed hurt… then anger. He came back at her and slammed his hands on the wall on either side of her head.

"You can't lie to me. You want it and you know it. I will have you," he growled. Hermione shivered, feeling trapped. He kissed her possessively, but she refused to kiss back, which was the extent of her Gryffindor courage. He growled. "I played nice so far… I played this game, but it won't happen long," he growled, stalking off, angrily.

Hermione fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Didn't I warn you?" an eery voice said to her. "He's a death eater, Hermione. You knew that. Death Eaters get what they want remember? It's like an obsession with them," Ginny said, kneeling beside her and wrapping her in her arms.

"He's different though?" Hermione sobbed.

"Yes, he is. The man you love, 'Mione, cannot be found here. He's in the future and no where else. He told me not to mention him to you, but I have to… you should have known," Ginny said. "**He** is the one who can care for you, Hermione. He is the one who can protect you, not this teenaged version of him," Ginny said.

"I understand," Hermione whispered, through her tears.

"No, neither of us can even begin to understand this, Hermione. Only he knows," Ginny said, softly.

"I want to, Gnny. I just want to go home," she whispered.

"Then that's where we'll go. It will just take a short while longer," Ginny said.

"Until then, we'll just be more careful, understood? You go no where without me, got it?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Hermione said.

"We have to take this seriously now, or we can't get home," Ginny told her. Hermione nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

Thanks to my reviewers. I hope you understand all of this chapter…


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